The Girl With Golden Eyes
by Garden of Time
Summary: L knew that the Kira case would be tough. So he sought out the help of his top three successors. He didn't, however, expect one of them to tag along. *In the proccess of being rewritten*
1. Chapter 1-EDITED 9-12-15

_**((Author's Note)) I'm only going to say this once and only once: Death Note belongs to Tsugumi Obha and Takeshi Obata. I don't own it or any Yugioh references made throughout the story. I only own Yugi (not Yugi Muto). This is a FANFICTION site after all.**_

_**Now that the disclaimer is out of the way, I hope you enjoy the story...Please read and review.**_

_**Edit: I recently got a new computer, but none of my files on my USB will work on any of the programs so I decided to take the time and edit what I posted before writing the next chapter. They're not extreme edits, so if you are frequent reader you don't have to reread anything.**_

_**To any new readers, I thank you for taking time out of your busy schedule to read this, so I hope you enjoy.**_

Chapter 1

I'm not your average fourteen-year-old. Out of all the kids at Wammy House, I'm the one who was most...different. It wasn't a big deal, unless you put being half-wolf in that category.

You heard me right...half-wolf. I had pointed ears that sat on top of my small head. They were only a shade darker than my teal colored hair. If that's not enough, i have a tail too. You won't believe how many times people tried to make fun of me. Especially Mello.

Almost every day he tries (and fails) to cut down my self esteem. He would throw the meanest comments, hardest punches, you name it. The thing he doesn't seem to get, though, was that I had a tendency to throw back harder.

"Hey, Yugi!" Speak of the devil and he shall appear, and in my case he appeared in my bedroom doorway while I was re-reading one of my Yugioh Mangas. Almost finished vol.8 and Mr. Tall and Grumpy had to rain on my parade. I did my best to keep my cool.

"Oh, hello Mello," I said calmly. "I was just thinking about you." I then looked at him with a small smirk. "Looking for something?"

"What did you do with my chocolate?!" Mello demanded, ignoring my comment. I groaned from all the shouting. It's a wonder I haven't gone deaf yet.

"Oh, Mello, why must you always assume I took your precious candy?" I asked, leaning back on my bed.

"Because you do!"

I chuckled. "You got me." I then pulled one of Mello's chocolate bars from my short's pocket. "Come and get it ya Buzz-kill."

Mello stomped over to me and snatched the candy from my hand before walking away.

"You're lucky I'm allergic to that shit!" I yelled to him as he slammed my bedroom door behind him. Probably to go complain to Matt again. I waited for his footsteps to become inaudible before going back to my manga_. Oh Marik, why do you have to be so sexy?_

Oh, by the way...the name is Yugi. Yeah, just like the main protagonist in the Yugioh series. Ironic, right? I spent about four years of my life on the streets of America before I stowed away on a plane comming to England. I don't have any parents or siblings that I know of. Sometimes I wonder if I should even exist.

I glance at my alarm clock on top of my dresser. Almost time for lunch. I close my book, marking the page, before standing up and stretching, the tip of my tail brushing the small of my back and wagging a bit. I then make my way out of my room and down the hall, passing the countless doors leading to the rooms of other orphans that share this home with me.

I snorted as I heard Mello complaining to Matt about my actions. I was the only one who even had the nerve to fight back. It's what he got for bullying Near, who was the closest thing to a brother I had.

Of course he wasn't really my brother, but I treat him as such. He didn't mind. In fact, he went as far as helping me with my academics. I did so well in the last test that I took Mello's second place spot...much to his displeasure. Now he has even more competition than before and he's made even more of an effort to make my life hell.

I didn't notice someone in my way until I ran into him. Looking up, I saw the orphanage's headmaster, Roger.

"Sorry sir," I muttered.

"Don't worry about it, Miss Yugi," Roger dismissed. "I was actually looking for you, Mello and Near."

I got slightly nervous. "Why?" I asked, pulling my Yugioh cards out of my pocket and shuffling them in my hands, a sign of anxiety.

"You have a visitor," Roger simply stated. "He is waiting for you in my office as we speak." He then gestured for me to go. I did so and soon saw the wooden door that led into the office. _Who is it that wanted to visit us? _I wondered.

Before I could knock on the door, I heard the faint sound of a conversation. It was hard to make out what one person said, due most likely to the fact he was farther away from the door. I only managed to hear the elderly voice say that what they were talking about was dangerous or something like that.

The second voice, which was closer to the door was easier to hear and I managed to catch the last bit of his sentence; "...I am going to need their help if I am going to catch Kira." _That voice...it's so blunt...could it be L?_

"What the hell is going on?" Mello asked, startling me.

"Mother of Wolves, Mello, You frigging startled me," I gasped.

"You would know all about wolves, wouldn't you, Cabbage-Head?" Mello sneered.

Cabbage-Head was, oddly enough, Mello's favorite insult thrown at me. Does it bother me? I'll let you know when it does.

"For your information, my hair is closer to blue," I shot back. "And at least people can tell what gender I am."

Mello narrowed his eyes. "Where are you going with that statement?"

"_Well_," I drawled, "your hair is longer than mine, and with a feminine hair cut, no less; you eat more chocolate than a girl going through a breakup, during her period, and your look couldn't be complete without your _sparkling _blue eyes."

"Who has sparkling blue eyes?" I looked behind Mello to see Near seemingly appearing from the shadows.

"Oh, hello there, Near," I waved toward him. "Mello and I were just discussing who has the prettiest eyes." I winked at the angsty blonde with my own golden orbs, causing him to growl lowly in response.

Mello didn't know it, and call me crazy for admitting it...but he sure looked cute when he looked ready to bite my head off. And I enjoyed teasing him about it.

"Oh, you looke so _adorable _when you're mad," I gushed as Mello growled even more, his anger close to a boiling point.

Before he could retaliate, however, the door to Roger's office opened showing two men, one much older than the other, in the doorway.

My eyes widened as the younger of the two stared at us. His large eyes calculating everything, a finger at his lips in thought. _Is this..._

"L?" Mello asked, his eyes also wide in amazement.

The man simply nodded before moving aside, allowing us to enter into the office.

Near instantly sat on the floor with one of his many blank puzzles and began assembling it. I sat next to him with my legs underneath me and started laying out my cards next to the puzzle while getting a better look at L, who was now sitting in one of the chairs with his knees close to his chest. He was currently placing a crapload of sugar cubes into his coffee.

He had dark shaggy hair that stuck up all over the place; his eyes had bags, referencing to how much sleep he gets each night; he wore a white shirt with a stretched out collar and baggy jeans; and he wore neither socks nor shoes. What's even more odd was that he held everything like it would give him ebola or something.

After many moments of silence, Mello, although hesitantly, shattered it. "You wanted to speak with us, L?"

Said man, who had been observing us took a sip of his sugary coffee and answered with a "Yes..." My ears perked up as he spoke.

L noticed my heightened attention and continued. "I'm sure you've all heard of the rising serial killer known as Kira, am I correct?"

I nodded as Mello said, "Yeah." I glanced at Near and saw him begin to curl a piece of hair in his fingers...he was thinking.

"I believe this will be the toughest case I'll be working on," L explained, "so I'll be needing your help to solve it."

Near, Mello and I stopped our little fidgets as we let this information sink in. "You...need our help?" I asked slowly.

"I believe I said that, yes." L then began to explain the future meeting with the ICPO that would be occouring in two weeks to discuss Kira and how they plan to stop him.

"I will be sending you information throughout the entirety of the investigation and in return you will send me your research."

"We can't come?" I asked, my ears lowering slightly.

"It's better not to risk more lives than neccesary."

"Oh," I then understood. _For all we know, Kira might kill those who get in his way as well as criminals_. I had to explain this to Mello when he protested.

"Is that all you wished to discuss with us?" Near asked. _Typical Near_, I thought as I carefully picked up my cards.

L thought for a second and nodded. Near and I stood up and followed Mello out the door. "Also," we stopped to look back at L, "for the time being I ask that you call me Ryuzaki. " We nodded and continued on our way.

"Do you think it's true?" Mello asked. "That he really is L?"

I scoffed. "Of course he is. Who else, besides Near, talks that bluntly?"

"But if he is L, then why does he need our help?"

Near curled his fingers into his hair again. "It is quite possible that Kira is at the same mentality level, if not close to it, as him, therefore making the case difficult."

I suddenly felt a vibration in my gut. "I don't know, guys," I said, "but I need some food before I can think on this any longer." I then started running toward the dining hall in persuit of something to fill my empty void of a stomach.

_**((Author's Note)) There you have it...I hope you enjoyed it. **_

_**Until next time...**_

_**Garden**_


	2. Chapter 2-EDITED 9-12-15

_**((Author's Note)) Here's Chapter 2...I hope it clears up a few things. And I apologize ahead of time for any OOC-ness that goes on.**_

_**Also, FYI, Yugi is speaking persian.**_

_**Edit: No big changes in this chapter except a bit of dialouge change in the beginning.**_

Chapter 2

The fire burned my skin as I clawed at the door.

"کمکم کنید! (Help Me!)" I screamed, my fingernails leaving marks on the metal surface over the logo of the building.

"کسی ، لطفا ... (some one, please...)" I could feel the flames lick me as I cried.

"راهنما ! (Help!)"

I shot up from my bed. _What the hell was that?! _I wondered.

I laid my head in my hands. "That was really scary," I whispered. I started to feel a prickly sensation on my face and moved my hands to find it. Then I realized it was on my hands.

I moved my hands from my face to get a better look at them and gasped. Fur? I wondered as I noticed my hands and arms covered in dark teal hair. I then lifted the bottom of my tank top to see even more hair. _What the Hell?!_

I jumped out of bed to the bathroom where I had a full length mirror hanging on the door. Turning on the light, I moved to look at my reflection.

What I saw made me scream and leap back in surprise. I was covered head to toe in the dark teal fur. My night clothes, which consisted of a pair of boxer shorts and a pink tank top that said _Puppy Love _seemed a little tighter. What terrified me the most, however, was my face.

Like the rest of my body, it was covered in fur. It was also narrower and more angled. My nose had become doglike and my eyes, although still held their golden color, were more animalistic. Hesitantly, I opened my mouth and saw four large, glistening, white canines.

I screamed again and ran out of the bathroom. I crawled back into bed and tossed the comforter over my head, curling into a tight ball. "It's just a dream," I told myself. "It's just a dream. It's just a dream. It's Just A Dream. IT'S JUST A DREAM!"

There was pounding on my door and I could hear Mello's tired voice behind the wooden barrier. "Yugi, do the world a favor and GO BACK TO SLEEP!"

I began to cry. "Why won't this nightmare end?" I asked. "Someone, please...wake me up from this bad dream...It's starting to scare me."

"Yugi," I heard Near say. "You're not asleep."

"Yes I am!" I cried. "You're just trying to make me think I'm not!"

Suddenly the door swung open and the blanket was thrown off of me. I felt someone's hands grab my shoulders and shake me.

"YOU'RE NOT DREAMING, GOD DAMN IT!" Mello shouted, causing my ears to throb. "This delusion you put yourself in woke everyone in the orphanage, and you're sitting here, bawling your eyes out just because you suddenly look different?!"

"You try being half wolf and not understanding what the hell is going on," I said, my voice cracking, making my throat feel like sand paper. "I thought you'd at least be a little surprised when you barged in here and saw the monster in the bed."

Mello let go of my shoulders as I spoke. He then looked at the open door to see the other kids that we shared the hall with peering in, trying to see what was going on. "Get out of here," he told them, "there's nothing to see." The children slowly left the area and went back to their rooms. When they were gone, Mello turned back to me.

"Why aren't you at least shocked?" I asked, slightly suspicious. "Doesn't my appearance at least surprise you?"

"No."

"Why not?"

Mello sighed. "You might not remember it, but it's happened before."

My ears twitched in confusion as I scratched my neck. The fur was starting to irritate me. "What are you talking about?" I asked. "And why are you suddenly being so civil toward me?"

I watched as Mello scratched the back of his neck nervously. "I was going to wait until morning, but..."

"But what?"

He closed his eyes as he muttered something even I couldn't comprehend.

"What?" I asked him, enticing him to speak a little louder.

Mello took a deep breath before he said clearly, "I want to offer a truce between us."

"A truce?" I deadpanned. "You've got to be kidding me."

"I'm not."

"Was this Matt's Idea or something?"

"No."

"Why?"

"Why what?"

"Why are you asking for a truce?"

I could see Mello grind his teeth in irritation. "Because I want to, alright?"

I rolled my eyes. But then I thought, Maybe it won't be so bad. I sighed. "Deal."

Mello's eyes widened. "Huh?"

"I said, it's a deal." I held out my furry hand. "Well? Are you gonna shake it or what?" Mello slowly nodded before reaching out and taking my hand in his and giving it a firm shake. I smiled slightly, my tail swishing slightly.

"Allies?" Mello asked wit a smirk. I nodded.

"Allies." I then pulled my hand away. "Now what did you mean when you said this," I gestured to the fur on my body, "happened before?"

Mello's smirk faded and he looked down. "It was about two years ago, when you came here. You had a breakdown like you just did earlier," he explained. "Only, you were so terrified that you ran down the hall and out the front door, scaring the shit out of Roger."

I laughed a little when he said that. _I must have been a sight._

"When he and Near went out to look for you, they found you unconcious with a head injury..." Mello continued. "Apparently you ran into a tree and fractured your skull. You were out for a week and when you woke up, you couldn't remember the whole day. So Roger told us not to mention it in case it would scare you into another episode."

I was silent as he explained the event. It happend before...only two years ago...could it happen in another two years? I shook my head and yawned. All this thinking was making me tired. "Maybe we should get to sleep," I suggested.

Mello nodded in agreement before leaving, closing the door behind him.

I laid my head against the head board of my bed and looked out my window at the waxing half moon before closing my eyes. When I opened them again, the sun was shining. I slowly stretched before making my way back to the bathroom to start my morning routine. I was hesitant in the matter, though, due to the fact I didn't want to see that horrifying image again.

I managed to avoid looking in the mirror as I showered and brushed my hair. I couldn't dodge the bullet forever, though, and forced myself to look into my glass reflection. I sighed in relief.

The fur was gone; and my nose and teeth were back to normal. My eyes, however, still had the animalistic look and shape to them. I was hoping last night's events were a dream...but they weren't. My thoughts from only a few hours ago came back to the surface of my mind. Will it happen again? That's when I decided to look into the matter.

I changed out of my night clothes into a yellow halter top and green shorts before making my way to the closet where my laptop was at.

"Don't you look like a little daffodil?" I turned around to see Matt leaning against my doorpost with a toothpick in his mouth.

"What do you want, Matt?" I asked. "And I thought I told you that you'd have to try harder when it came to flirting with me."

Matt ignored that last comment and replied with, "Mells told me about you having some sort of mental breakdown last night."

"Did he now?" I asked sarcastically.

Matt nodded, his goggles sliding down his forehead slightly. "He looked a little out of it when he came back into the room, but he wouldn't tell me what it was." He then looked at me in the eye. "Want to talk about it?"

"Not particularly..." I muttered. Matt shrugged before standing up straight.

"Well, do you mind if I walk with you to get breakfast?" he offered.

"Nice try, Matt, but don't you want to keep your dignity?"

"Who ever said I'd lose it?" he asked, taking a small step closer to me.

"Who ever said you wouldn't?"

"I did." He took another step.

"No you didn't."

"I implied it." By now, Matt had moved from the doorway to right in front of me. He was getting close...a little too close.

He brushed a piece of hair out of my face and got even closer. I couldn't take it anymore and I shoved him away. "What the hell are you doing?!" I asked, my face extremely red. Sure Matt has done his fair share of advances like that before, but it was the first time he's gotten that close to me...too much closeness for one morning, I thought.

Matt smirked before holding a small tuft of fuzz. "You had lint in your hair," he said calmly.

I didn't buy into his demeanor. "Could you explain why you had to get so close?"

"No." I sighed. "So, about that walk?" Matt asked.

Uh," I said, "Actually, I'm not that hungry."

Matt shrugged. "Suit yourself." He then turned to leave. "By the way, Yugi," he looked back at me. "I like what you did with your eyes." He then disappeared into the hallway.

_What in the world just happend?_

I shrugged it off and took my laptop out of my closet before making my way to the library. As I walked down the hall I thought of a few theories to explain what happened to me last night. The most plausible one being some sort of anthro-puberty...in a way it did make sense, cosidering it happened before, even if it was two years ago. When I opened the door to the vast room of books, I was surprised to see L talking to Mello.

I was shocked, mainly because I've never seen Mello come here, let alone read a book. Then again, I never really paid that much attention to what Mello did in his free time. Usually because I was too busy rigging his side of the room he shared with Matt to explode or something like that to really care.

"Good morning, Yugi," L said calmly, holding a cup of tea to his lips.

"Oh, hello, Ryuzaki," I greeted. "I wasn't interrupting anything, was I?"

"Not at all," he replied. "In fact, I was just telling Mello about Some of my previous cases. Would you care to join us?"

"No thanks," I told him politely. "I'm actually here to do some personal research."

"I see," L spoke with his usual calculating tone. "If you change your mind, please feel free to join us."

I smiled in gratitude before glancing at Mello. He had this undescribable look on his face. Looking away, I went to find a secluded place at the other end of the room to begin my research.

_**((Author's Note)) Again, I hope this chapter cleared a few things up. If you enjoyed it, please leave a review.**_

_**Until next time...**_

_**Garden**_


	3. Chapter 3-EDITED 9-12-15

_**((Author's Note)) Here ya go...enjoy this next chapter. And please review.**_

_**Edit: Not really any changes in this chapter.**_

Chapter 3

I took a deep breath. I can't believe I'm doing this. I gripped my backpack as I slipped out of my room. It wasn't long until I made it outside. I was on a mission. A mission to find out the truth. And to do that, all I had to do...was stow away in L's limo.

When I was in the library researching as best I could with what I had, I came across information on a genetic lab in Japan. Apparently, the head scientist, A man named Ukyo Akiteru, was running experiments on a cellular level, trying to create the perfect hybrid between human and animal. The lab, however burned to the ground before he could do that. I couldn't find anything else on the subject, but it was the closest lead I had.

I picked the lock on the trunk of the limo and slipped inside. It appeared that Watari put all of L's equipment in here ahead of time. I slid between the large bags and boxes being careful not to move them before closing the trunk door. Only a matter of time before L and Watari drive off to the airport. I made myself comfortable. The closest airport was in London...not to mention they aren't leaving until morning. The ICPO meeting was within the next few days now so I'm sure they'll leave tomorrow morning, if not later.

It was just my luck that my mission led me to Japan as well as L's mission to catch Kira did. Sure it's a bit convenient, but it should be worth it. I'll be able to find out the truth about myself as well as help L with his investigation. Maybe this Akiteru guy knows what's going on with me. My eyes grew heavy. And even though I didn't want to. I succumbed to the fatigue that clouded my senses and fell asleep.

_I was walking down the hall toward the dining hall. I haven't eaten all day and my hunger was raving. Suddenly a hand grabbed me and dragged me into a nearby closet. Out of reflex, I elbowed the culprit in the chest. When he let go, I swung my leg into his face to knock him out. He caught it, however, and twisted it, causing me to fall. He then sat on my back, pinning me to the ground._

_"Yugi, calm down, it's me!" a familiar chocolate breathed voice said. I stopped my struggle._

_"What do you want now, Mello?" I asked. "We're under truce so I didn't steal your chocolate. And would you kindly get your ass off my back?!"_

_Mello complied with my request and helped me up. "I didn't come for the chocolate," he said. I looked at him, not believing what I heard. Mello? Not after chocolate?! I laughed. "I'm serious, Yugi!"_

_"You're always serious, Mell," I managed to say in between giggles. I burst into even more laughter when he growled. He hated when I called him that._

_When I calmed down, I asked, "So if you're 'not here for the chocolate' then why did you drag me in here? You know I get violent when in enclosed spaces for long periods of time. Don't you remember last winter when you decided to lock us in the freezer?"_

_I watched Mello shiver at the memory. He thought it was a good idea to push me in the freezer where Roger kept all the vegetables since I'm purely a carnivore. Little did he know, he had locked himself in there with me. Let's just say the outcome wasn't very good._

_Mello pulled me away from the memory by pushing a strap of leather in front of my face. It was a black dog collar. I gave him a look. "What the hell is this?" I asked, "A sick joke?"_

_Mello let out a chuckle. "No," he said. "It's a collar. I want you to wear it."_

_I looked at it before looking back at him._

_"No."_

_Mello grinded his teeth in frustration. "Why not?"_

_"It's stupid!"_

_"It's suppose to be a symbol of our alliance."_

_"I don't care, I'm not wearing it." I crossed my arms stubbornly._

_We kept arguing and it soon turned physical. Mello tried to put the collar on me by force, but I swung my hand around and scratched at his face. He had to duck down to dodge it. This continued for I don't know how long, when suddenly I moved my hand to get his arm off of my neck and pulled a rosary off of his wrist._

_My eyes widened when I saw it hit the floor. I felt Mello's arms loosen from around my neck. He allowed me to move away and I knelt down to pick it up._

_The rosary was on a silver chain. I watched as the beads fell down and scattered all over the place. Looking up, I saw Mello's unreadable expression. Somewhere mixed between horror and sadness._

_"Mello, I'm so sorry," I said. He just shook his head._

_"It's fine..." he said looking away. His voice unnaturally soft. "It doesn't matter, anyway."_

_I looked back down and saw the collar, which had been tossed aside, sitting in the corner. Reaching over, I picked it up before strapping it around my neck. "Are you happy, now?" I asked. He looked at me, seeing the collar around my neck. Mello then nodded._

_"We should get out of here before someone finds us and gets the wrong idea," he said. I stood up with a sigh._

_"I agree, it's starting to get tight in here." I watched as Mello put his hand on the doorknob and turned it. The door, however, didn't open. I groaned. Don't tell me he didn't..._

_"Damn it, not again!" He did. Mello locked us in...again._

_"How do you keep doing this?!" I asked in exaspeation as Mello shoved his shoulder into the door._

_"Will you just shut up and help me?!" He yelled as he pushed as hard as he could on the door, using all of his weight._

_I growled and moved next to him and started throwing all of my weight onto the door with his. The door still didn't budge. I then backed up to the other end of the small space._

_"What are you doing?" Mello asked, moving out of the way. I pushed myself off of the wall and slammed my shoulder into the wood as hard as I could._

_"What does it look like?" I asked back, moving to the other end of the closet again and running back into the door. "I'm getting my fluffy tail out of here before I lose it." The next few minutes consisted of me running back and fourth, hitting the door with as much force as possible._

_After a while, Mello said, "Yugi, just stop." I ignored him and ran into the door once more. When I moved to the other side of the closet, he moved in between me and the door._

_"Get out of the way!" I told him. He didn't move. I growled and ran for the door again, trying to pass him as I charged. Instead of going around him, though, I ended up running right into him. The force pushed him back against the door and it finally gave way._

_As we fell, I felt Mello's arms instinctively wrap around me. I instantly felt my face go red, and what's even more embarassing than that? When we landed, I felt my mouth hit something warm and soft. My eyes closed on impact, so I didn't see Mello's shocked face. When I regained my senses, I realized what I was doing and quickly pulled away._

_I felt a prickly sensation and looked down at my arms. The fur was growing at a fast pace. I gasped and felt my face which had taken an angular shape again._

_Mello stared at me with the same weird look he gave me earlier in the library. I didn't know what to do. So I ran off._

I heard the engine of the limo start, waking me up. I remember that evening. I was so embarrased...which doesn't happen often, I gripped the cross on my collar. That's when I realized...Mello's gonna be pissed when he finds out what I'm doing.

**Mello's Pov(3rd person)**

Mello opened his eyes that morning. He sat up and stretched until he felt a satisfying crack in his back. He got out of bed and noticed something on his nightstand. It was his rosary... the cross was put on a longer chain that he could wear around his neck. Next to it was a note with his name on it. Picking it up and unfolding it, he noticed the scratchy handwriting and recognized it as Yugi's.

_Mello_

_By the time you read this, I'll most likely be at an airport in London, if not already on a plane. Don't go look for me, by the time you get there, it will be too late._

_Since the other night when we made that truce, I've been staying up late and it turns out I change every night while I'm sleeping as well as when I go through high spikes of stress (like a certain event that occoured about nine days ago)._

Mello's face turned a little red, remembering that accidental kiss after he locked them in the closet. He would never tell of the event to anyone, not even Matt.

_From what I found out with my research the closest lead I have is taking me to the same place L is going, so I stowed away in his limo. I'll try to contact you and Near as soon as I can, but until then, I hope you enjoy being Number Two again._

_Yugi_

_P.S. I fixed your rosary the best I could with an old chain I found...unfortunately I couldn't get any of the beads on it, sorry._

_P.P.S I hope you don't mind but I'm borrowing your gun._

Mello read the note over a few more times. _She stowed away in L's limo? _Mello ground his teeth as he let the information sink in. _She stole my gun?!_

Yugi was right...Mello was pissed.

**Yugi's Pov(1st person)**

I shivered as cold air blew from a draft somewhere in the dark. My back was pressed into what would be the back seat of the limo, where L would be sitting. I was currently listening to a conversation he was having with Watari.

I didn't really start listening until my name was mentioned. Aparrently he was discussing the events that took place between me and Mello during his stay. It was rather odd.

"Don't you think the relationship between the two is rather strange?" he had asked Watari, who only chuckled.

"They've been fighting like that ever since they met," he told the young detective. "I wouldn't try wrapping my head around it."

"I've heard about the antics in which Yugi and Mello would seem to be at war, but I can't help but feel somwhat confused."

"What do you mean, L?"

"I was in the middle of telling Mello about the LABB Murder Cases when Yugi walked in. I had offered her to join us in the conversation in hopes to see how the two interacted a little better since they seemed to ignore each other during that first meeting with me for the most part. She kindly declined before going about her own business."

"What did you believe was confusing about that, might I ask?" Watari wondered. My ears flicked in curiosity as L began explaining.

"She and Mello had these strange looks on their faces..." L trailed off in thought. Then he suddenly changed the subject. "Watari, did you happen to find anything on Yugi's upbringing before she was found in LA?" I took a sharp intake of breath. He knew something about me that even I didn't know?

"Not much other than she was originally from Japan...although DNA tests depict that she's persian, it seems that she was born and raised in Tokyo before she snuck onto a plane heading for the United States."

"Is that so? Hm..." L went quiet again.

"Is there something wrong?"

There was a moment of silence before L replied. "I just had the oddest feeling that someone else was in the car."

_Well you aren't far off, Ryuzaki_, I thought, a small smirk fighting its way on my lips.

_**((Author's Note)) Here you go...I hope you enjoyed it.**_

_**Thanks to all my reviewers for the constructive criticism and I hope to hear from you.**_

_**Until next week...**_

_**Garden**_


	4. Chapter 4-EDITED 9-12-15

_**((Author's Note)) I'm a little depressed...nobody reviewed last week. No matter, I know there are people out there who just read the story and don't feel like reviewing. I am not one to restrict chapters for randsome, so for all my readers, I present to you...**_

_**The next Chapter!**_

_**P.S. I'm eating an apple while writing this (just so y'all know), since I don't have cake...or sweets.**_

_**Edit: Minor story edits but no need to reread if you don't want to.**_

Chapter 4

The ride lasted for about an hour and I was starting to get uncomfortable. _How far away was London again?_ Just as I started to wonder, I felt the vibration of the vehicle diminish. I hoped we were at the airport because I was getting violent urges to break lose and blow my cover. You know...a girl like me...in a enclosed space for long periods of time...I'm sure I've mentioned this before.

Before I could do anything, the trunk of the limousine opened and I shrunk back so Watari couldn't see me. I watched as he carefully picked up each box before walking off, leaving the trunk open. Seeing this, I took my chance and sprinted out of the vehicle. Seeing the airport, I ran toward it, making sure my ears were hidden by the beanie I wore.

Once inside the building, I made my way to the reception's desk. _Let the greatest act in the history of me commence..._

I looked up at the receptionist with big eyes, easily getting her attention. "Excuse me," I said softly.

She gave me a smile. "How can I help you, dear?" she asked.

"Well, you see..." I said shyly, "Mommy said that Daddy would meet me at the Tokyo Airport in Japan, and I told her that I wanted to go by myself, so she dropped me off." I forced myself to cry at this point, which was harder than it sounds. "But she forgot to give me the money I needed for my plane ticket. I would call her, but since we live so far away I didn't want to make her come back just so I would miss my flight. Could you maybe help me with getting the ticket?"

The woman looked at me with concern before shaking her head. "I'm sorry, but I can't do that-" she began to say.

"Please, I need get to Japan before Daddy gets bored and leaves again before I could even see him!" I begged. "He promised to take me to Space Land for my birthday, but his work schedule is so busy he rarely has time for that. He was lucky enough to get time off and I don't want him to waste it in a steamy airport waiting for his daughter, only for her not to show up!"

The receptionist denied my request again and I sighed. "At least I tried," I said just loud enough to hear. I turned around and saw L sitting in one of the chairs, waiting for the flight to be called, in his usual crouch. His eyes were roaming around, studying each person that passed by in the busy building . When his eyes passed me, I panicked slightly. I quickly hid behind a nearby pillar just as he did a double take.

I strained my ears to hear him speak to Watari behind the wall of echoing noises, as well as my hat, and managed to hear him say, "I thought I saw something." I peered from behind the pillar to see Watari look in the same direction as L, who now had his index finger in his mouth in thought. "Perhaps I should rest on the way..."

Before I could listen in any further, I felt someone put their hand on my shoulder. I tensed, thinking my cover was blown, and quickly turned around. _Mello, if that's you I'm gonna rip of your-_

A woman, presumably in her early twentys, looked at me with her amber eyes. She had straight blonde hair that reached her shoulders and the expression of a statue.

_...head._

"What are you doing here all alone?" the woman asked her expression softening. "Where are your parents?"

It took me a while to slow my heart rate down. Before I answered, I subtly glanced at my hands to see if there was any excessive hair growth. None. I looked back at her and opened my mouth, "My mom left me here, and my dad's waiting for me in Tokyo...but he won't get to see me." I looked away sadly. The woman knelt down closer to my height level, asking me without words what I ment.

_Hook..._

"Mommy is a forgetful person...she forgot to buy my ticket," I explained. She nodded in understanding.

_Line..._

"I see..." I shrugged her hand off my shoulder, getting a little uncomfortable with the interaction.

There was a moment of stiff silence until the woman looked up and around, as if making sure no one was around...which was kind of pointless considering the infinite amount of people in the airport. She then stood up from her kneeling position in front of me. "Wait here," she said before walking away. I watched her suspiciously as she walked up to the receptions desk.

_...And Sinker_

As she spoke to the other woman behind the desk, I watched as she pulled out a wallet. When she did, I got a glimpse of a driver's liscence. Halle Bullook. I tilted my head in curiosity as she walked back to me holding out her hand. Wrapped in her long fingers, was a plane ticket.

"Here..." Halle said. "It should get you to your dad."

I slowly took the ticket from her hand. "Thank you," I said softly. Giving her a small smile. _My plan worked...I can't believe they fell for it a second time!_

Halle insisted she stay with me until my flight was ready, not bothering to ask about any luggage, oddly enough. She even willingly gave me her name.

"Are you sure that's a good idea, Miss Bullook, giving your name out in public, that is?" I asked, " For all you know I might be Kira." This caused Halle to smile slightly in amusement.

"You're pretty smart," she complimented, "but how do you know the name I gave you wasn't an alias?"

I didn't even consider that option. But if she did, she must be either a criminal or some sort of agent working against Kira. "I don't," I said with a shrug.

"Flight 821 to Tokyo, Japan now boarding," the announcer said over the P.A. system. I looked up to see people standing up and walking toward the terminal area to board the plane. Among those people were L and Watari.

"That's my flight, I guess," I told Halle. "Thanks again for the ticket." I started walking toward the terminal when I felt Halle's hand on my shoulder once more.

"Hey." I turned around to look at her. She smiled. "Good luck out there, kid."

I smiled back and gave her a small nod before walking away.

~*TimeSkip*~

It was about 7:30 and I was sitting in one of the comfortable seats. She didn't have to, but Halle had purchased me a first-class ticket. I felt a little guilty because of how expensive it was, but I was thankful, none the less. Now the only worry I had was the detective who sat a few rows ahead of me in a right hand window seat. I couldn't tell you how many times my cover was almost blown between the terminal and the plane.

I kept an eye on L as I sat back and read one of my Yugioh mangas. I was just getting to the epic duel between Yugi and Yami Bakura when I felt a tug on my ear through my beanie.

"Ow," I muttered, before looking to my left for the culprit. Unlike L, I had an aisle seat, allowing me to observe the detective easily. The person who had the window seat was a woman with dark brown hair and tired grey eyes. In her arms was a baby no older than a year old, who also had the same color eyes. He stared at me with great curiosity.

"I'm sorry," the woman said, "he's just been so squirmy since he woke up."

I gave her a small smile of understanding. "It's okay," I told her. "He's probably just curious." I then looked at the little boy. "Aren't you, little guy?" The child began squirming again, reaching his arms out to me, asking to be held by someone other than his mother.

"Kani, what are you doing?" the woman asked playfully. The child ignored her and continued to reach out. His mother looked at me and smiled slightly. "Do you mind?" she asked.

I shook my head and set my manga down before reaching for little Kani. He wrapped his little fingers around my arms as I slowly lifted his slightly heavy form from the woman's arms. "Thank you," she said.

"Your welcome," I said back. I turned my gaze to the little boy that now sat in my lap before looking back to his mother. "You look tired. You should rest," I told her. When she shook her head, I insisted. "Don't worry, I'll watch your son. I've had watch a few kids around his age before."

"Are you sure you can handle it?" I nodded.

"If you're still asleep, I'll wake you up when we land," I promised. The woman looked at me gratefully before hesitantly laying back and closing her eyes.

As the long flight lingered on, I held the child. He was very energenic and wouldn't stop poking my nose.

When he started to yawn, I figured he was tired. So I let him lay his little head on my shoulder and started to sing him a lullaby I had learned in Foreign Language Class.

**"Spi, mladenets moy prekrasnyy,**

**Bayushki-bayu.**

**Tikho smotrit mesyats yasnyy**

**V kolybel' tvoyu.**

**Stanu skazyvat' ya skazki,**

**Pesenku spoyu;**

**Ty zh dremli, zakryvshi glazki,**

**Bayushki-bayu.**

**Sam uznayesh', budet vremya,**

**Brannoye zhit'ye;**

**Smelo vdenesh' nogu v stremya**

**I voz'mesh' ruzh'ye.**

**YA sedel'tse boyevoye**

**Shelkom razosh'yu...**

**Spi, ditya moye rodnoye,**

**Bayushki-bayu.**

**Bogatyr' ty budesh' s vidu**

**I kazak dushoy.**

**Provozhat' tebya ya vyydu —**

**Ty makhnesh' rukoy...**

**Skol'ko gor'kikh slez ukradkoy**

**YA v tu noch' prol'yu!..**

**Spi, moy angel, tikho, sladko,**

**Bayushki-bayu.**

**Stanu ya toskoy tomit'sya,**

**Bezuteshno zhdat';**

**Stanu tselyy den' molit'sya,**

**Po nocham gadat';**

**Stanu dumat', chto skuchayesh'**

**Ty v chuzhom krayu...**

**Spi zh, poka zabot ne znayesh',**

**Bayushki-bayu.**

**Dam tebe ya na dorogu**

**Obrazok svyatoy:**

**Ty yego, molyasya bogu,**

**Stav' pered soboy;**

**Da, gotovyas' v boy opasnyy,**

**Pomni mat' svoyu...**

**Spi, mladenets moy prekrasnyy,**

**Bayushki-bayu."**

As I hummed the last few notes, I watched as Kani's eyes grew heavy and slowly closed. Oddly, the closeness between the child and I reminded me of the short time I had with someone in L.A. ...I loved how she sang to me and managed to teach me how to read and write in a day...it made me miss her so much.

Soon the alert that the plane would be landing was given and I woke up Kani's sleeping mother. When she opened her eyes, she saw me holding her son and sat up.

"Thanks for watching him for me," she said, still a little groggy as I handed her the sleeping child.

"No need," I shook my head as we filed out of the plane. "You needed the rest. I could tell."

"I still appreciate it," she told me as we filed out of the air craft.

When I entered the terminal, I kept my eye out for L and soon found him by the doors. Bidding the woman goodbye, I hurried to reach the exit before I lost the black haired detective. Making it through the glass barriers, I watched as he climbed into yet another black limo, driven by Watari.

I noticed the trunk was open and sighed before running and slipping into it, making sure I was unseen by the older man, who shut it soon after. _Just a little longer, Yugi. _I told myself. Just a little longer.

_**((Author's Note)) I hope you enjoy this chapter...I had to work on it much longer than planned due to the fact my internet hours are limited and I couldn't access a computer yesterday.**_

_**But no worries for I've made it before Sunday yet again! *throws mini success party***_

_**Also the song here is called Bayushki Bayu.**____**It is my favorite lullaby and I reccommend it a good listen. **____**I would give a link to the video I found it on, but alas, there are two problems with that. 1) this site won't allow links in the story, and 2) I can't find the video.**_

_**but if you look it up, y'all will find one version or another of the song, which I believe is very beautiful.**_

_**I thank all of my followers in this story as well as my reviewers...even though there were none last chapter. T_T**_

_**Until next week...**_

_**Garden**_


	5. Chapter 5-EDITED 9-12-15

_**((Author's Note)) Chapter five is now here! I hope you enjoy the chapter, and please review.**_

_**Edit: The dream is different as well as some minor narration changes.**_

Chapter 5

I don't know when, but as I was laying in the trunk of that limo, the Jet Lag caught up to me and I fell asleep.

_"I promised Mom I would never commit suicide," she told me the fourth day I had been there, "so I want you to kill me."_

_I shook my head in protest as she shoved a bottle of pills into my hands._

_"Please," she begged. "You're the only one who can do this."_

When I opened my eyes, I found myself covered with a blanket. My beanie wasn't on my head anymore, and I was curled up in a ball on a soft bed.

Surprised, I shot up and looked around, my ears and tail up straight in an alert matter. I was in a dark hotel room, the window curtain was shut, leaving only a sliver of light from the city lights shining on the opposite wall. _How did I get here? _I wondered, remembering the fact I was in the trunk of L's limo.

"I see you're now awake..." I turned to the doorway to see a dim light coming through and showing the silhouette of a man hunched over and staring at me through a curtain of dark hair with slightly narrowed eyes. It was L...and he wasn't happy.

My ears dropped in embarassment. "Hi," I said, my face heating up in shame.

His facial features never changed as he nodded his head in a beckoning way. I slowly stood up from the bed and walked toward him with my head down, and my tail slightly between my legs. I would never admit it to anyone, but since I've seen that look before, albeit a different face, it scared the living shit out of me.

The other room was as dark as the bedroom, but there wasn't any windows. Instead, the light came from a grey laptop in the corner of the room. Looking closer, I realized it was _my _laptop.

Before I could say anything, he sat down on the floor in a simmilar way that Near does and gives me a look that told me to do the same. I do so slowly, pulling my cards out of my pocket and shuffling them in my hands, waiting for him to demand why I didn't do as he said and stay at Wammy's where he would send me the reports along with Mello and Near.

Instead, he pulled my laptop over and put it in front of me. "Here is a list of Kira's past victims. I've discovered each one of them had their names and pictures brodcasted on the News prior to their death, therefore I deduced that Kira needs a name and a face to kill." I was confused...wasn't he going to scold me? "What are your thoughts on this?" he asked. Guess not...not now, anyway.

I looked through the information displayed on the monitor which consisted the names and faces of the victims, as well as the date they were brodcasted and the time of death. Nothing seemed relevant to me until I took a closer look at the time the deaths took place.

I immediately opened a new window and wrote down each of the dates in chronological order. I then grouped the dates in a few different orders before showing it to L.

"From what I saw through this information, I would guess that Kira is a student," I explained to him. "If you notice, the times of each death are less abundant during the hours one would be in school, and more extensive before 8 AM and after 4 PM as well as the weekends."

L looked through my work and nodded in agreement, stichking his thumb in his mouth in thought.

I returned to shuffling my cards as the room grew silent. Each one of them was custom made. The monsters were actually people or animals I've actually encountered, the spells were based off of things they have actually done as well as items they used to do it, and the traps consisted of tricks they pulled on other people. There was only one card that wasn't custom made. It was called Hell Hound and was the most prized card in my collection.

"Yugi," L said, getting my attention.

"Huh?" I asked, looking up from my cards.

"I am curious..." he said, he said as he typed on the computer until he showed me the screen, revealing my browsing history, "on why you followed me when I had requested that you stay at the orphanage. I would have originally deduced that you wanted to come due to the Kira case, although I'd have expected it from Mello. However, going through the browsing history on your computer, I believe I have discovered your true intentions."

"You want me to confirm your deduction?" I asked. L nodded. I took a deep breath.

"I'm trying to find out how I became," I gestured to my ears, "...this." L stared at me blankly as I continued. "That is why I was in the library that day. I had a breakdown the night before and it almost gave me a heart attack." L snorted at my choice of words. "Since then I had done some research that led me here."

Silence filled the room as L took in what I said. "So my deduction was correct," he said quietly. I shrugged. "However," I tensed at his slightly hardened tone, "I can't say I'm pleased that you came. But under the circumstances, I don't see it essential to send you back to England." I relaxed my shoulders until he spoke again. "So instead I'll have you work as my assistant when Watari is unavailable."

I saw no reason to argue so I nodded. I then yawned. "Can I go back to sleep?" I asked.

L nodded and said, "If you wish." I stood up from the floor and walked back toward the bedroom. "Before you fall asleep, I wish to ask you one more question..." I turned to look back, waiting for the question. "Could you explain why we found a gun in your possession?"

I blushed in embarassment. I almost forgot that I swiped Mello's pistol before climbing into the limo. "I borrowed it from Mello..." I muttered, "...Just in case I needed it."

"Do you know how to use it?" L asked.

"Yes...I learned in Los Angeles. I use to be called me Eagle Eye because of my almost perfect accuracy...before I became Yugi, that is." I then remembered the dream I had earlier. Not long after she asked me to kill her... I thought sadly. I then yawned again.

"You should rest, Yugi," L said. I nodded before entering the bedroom and crashed onto the bed. Not soon after I fell asleep...thinking of her. I'm so sorry, Quarter...

_**((Author's Note)) Oooooh, the plot thickens. I hope you enjoyed reading as much as I enjoyed writing.**_

_**Next chapter, I plan on following the plot of the anime, but don't think we won't see less of Yugi's antics...after all, you still need to find out more about her past.**_

_**So until next time...**_

_**Garden**_


	6. Chapter 6-EDITED 9-17-15

_**((Author's Note)) Here we go...I am now going along with the anime storyline from here on out, but don't fret, for throughout the story Yugi will continue on her own misson to find Akiteru.**_

_**I'm Also going to label the chapters for those who want to keep track on how far into the series I am.**_

_**With that out of the way, I hope you enjoy the chapter.**_

_**Edit: Only grammatical edits in this chapter**_

Chapter 6-Confrontation

I sat silently as L set up my computer with his voice scrambler and logo, which consisted of a gothic, or english style, L on a white background.

"Are you ever going to get your own computer so I can have mine back?" I asked as we waited for the ICPO meeting to begin. "It took me over a year to save the money to get that, you know."

L just shushed me as he turned on the mic. "Greetings to all of you at the ICPO...I am L."

I exhaled heavily through my nose in frustration as I violently shuffled and sorted my cards. L continued to ignore me as he spoke.

"The difficulty of this case lies on its unprecedented scope; and make no mistake...we are witnessing an atricious act of mass murder, one that is unforgivable."

I put down my cards temporarily as I grabbed a nearby notepad and pen, writing down small report notes. This morning L gave me the responsibility of reporting events to Near and Mello regularly...and due to my limited memory, he allowed me to take small notes as long as I burn them afterward.

"This case cannot be solved without the full cooperation of the ICPO," L continued. "That is all of the police organizations you represent throughout the world. You need to make the decision to fully support the investigation at this meeting." He glanced at me and I nodded, reassuring him that I was paying attention. "Also I require additional cooperation from Japan's National Police Agency."

I continued to take notes as the meeting continued, occationally sorting through my cards while doing so, making note to order more custom made ones for my collection.

"...At any rate, I would like to set up the investigation headquarters in Japan."

"Done," I muttered low enough that the mic didn't catch it. L gave me a look that clearly said _Watch it_. I simply shrugged. When the meeting was over, L passed the laptop over to me so I could send the message to Mello and Near.

**Mello's POV (3rd Person)**

I was standing in the main hall by Roger's office, eating a bar of chocolate. Just standing there...bored as hell.

_Damn it, who would of thought it would be no fun without her... Thank God Matt hasn't asked about it, although I'm sure he's noticed._ Mello continued to inter-monologue when he saw Near, once again, appear from the shadows.

"What do you want?" Mello sneered at his rival. Near's face was indifferent, as usual.

"I was under the impression that L has contacted us for our first meeting of the case," he simply stated, curling a piece of his hair. "However, I couldn't help but notice the lack of hostility you've shown in the last few days...not that I'm complaining."

Just then, Roger showed up and led the two boys into his office. Just in time for the familiar logo of the Gothic styled L to show up on the screen.

When it disappeared, both Near and Mello were shocked to see Yugi's face replacing it.

"Yugi?!" Mello exclaimed.

"Hello, boys," Yugi said with a small smirk. "Miss me?"

"Hello, Yugi," Near replied, all previous emotion no longer apparent on his face. "I see your plan was a success."

Mello looked at Near. "You knew what she was doing?!" Near simply nodded. "Why didn't you stop her?"

"She's still here, you know," Yugi commented. The statement was ignored, however.

"It was no use...she would have left whether I tried or not," Near deadpanned.

"Guys..." Yugi tried to get the boys' attention.

"It still wouldn't have hurt to try," Mello shot back at Near. "Wouldn't you want her to know she was safer here?!"

"Hello," Yugi spoke in a sing-song voice.

"What I would like her to know, Mello, is why you care so much," Near stated. "Yugi's a big girl and can take care of herself."

Mello was about to respond when he heard a loud, "HEY!"

He and Near abruptly looked at the computer screen again to see a slightly agitated Yugi. "We're not here to talk about why I ran away, so shut up and listen to me."

Mello blinked in shock. He's never seen Yugi so serious in the two years he's known her.

"Now that I have your full attention," Yugi said, "I have the information on the ICPO meeting and Ryuzaki has given me the job of reporting this and any further information regarding the case."

"How'd the meeting go?" Near asked, getting straight down to buisiness, forgetting about the small quarrel between him and Mello.

"Well, for starters, L has taken control of the investigation as planned, he is recieving assistance from the Japanese NPA, and he already has a rough idea on where Kira is at."

"What does he plan on doing from here?" Mello asked.

"I'm not sure yet, but he said it would be discussed later."

"Is there anything he wants us to do?"

Yugi shrugged. "Continue searching for patterns in the heart attacks, I guess. He didn't say anything about additional information he required."

Near nodded, gripping a strand of his hair. "Understood." With that, the computer screen went blank.

**Yugi's POV (1st Person)**

I disconnected just as Watari returned from the meeting. "Hello there, Watari," I greeted.

"Hello, Yugi," He greeted back. "I'm sure L has discussed what he'll have you doing." I nodded.

"Yugi." I turned my head to said detective.

"Yes, L?" I asked.

"How good are your skills on infiltration?" the insomniac questioned.

I gave L a smirk. "You're talking to a wolf girl who managed to stow away on an airplane under government officials' noses...twice. Not to mention the saddening events that are past experiences that involved breaking and entering. I think they're as good as Wedy's if not better," I explained matter-of-factly. "Why?"

"I need you to break into the police station and access their private files," L explained. "Can you do that?"

I sighed. "Child's play."

_**((Author's Note)) There you have it. What will happen next? I'm not telling you whether I know or not.**_

_**Until next time**_

_**-Garden**_


	7. Chapter 7-EDITED 9-17-15

_**((Author's Note)) Enjoy.**_

_**Edit: only grammatical changes and minor narration edits.**_

Chapter 7

I had managed to slip into the police station within ten minutes. Honestly, you'd think they'd be prepared for some form of intrusion.

The challenge, however, was hacking into the computer system. Matt was way better at it than me, so it took more time than preferred, but I still managed to get to the files I was after.

The criminals listed in the private files are usually the most dangerous and are typically placed on death row, so using one of them as bait for Kira was the perfect plan, in L's eyes that is.

I read through each of the files, trying to determine the perfect person for the plan to progress.

_*FLASHBACK*_

_"Why do you need me to hack into the police files?" I asked._

_"I plan to use one of the criminals that were arrested in secret to stand in my place to confront Kira...as bait of course," He simply stated._

_"And how would you get him to cooperate? If you don't mind my asking...Tell them you would let them go free?"_

_L gave me his usual blank stare, but there was a certain light to the look in his dark eyes. "As a matter of fact, that was exactly the plan."_

_*END FLASHBACK*_

One of the files caught my eye. It showed an image of a man with long dark hair, reaching roughly the middle of his neck. His eyes were dark, and held that secretive glint in them.

"Lind L. Tailor..." I whispered. Opening the file, I read that he was charged for sexual assault and murder in 1999 and sentenced to death.

I quickly went online to find out more information on him. Surprisingly, I found a link to the To-Oh University site. On the page was a picture of Tailor and a blonde man, holding degrees from the university. I read the article.

_Graduating students, Lind Tailor and Ukyo Akiteru, made highest score in To-Oh history after presenting a detailed theory on genetic mutation and evolution. In the report, Akiteru and Tailor gave excellent evidence as well as ideas on how genetics could be altered both naturally and unnatually._

_Akiteru plans to look deeper into the heart of genetics with the help of fellow graduating students and senior scientists at Hajime Labs in Kyoto until he has enough money to build his own place of research._

_Tailor, however, plans to continue his work in basic genetic science._

I stopped reading after that. Looking at the given image, Tailor looked a lot different from his mug shot. He looked younger (obviously), as well as kinder and less hostile. Either way...I couldn't see him as any kind of scientist...but you can't judge a book by its cover, as they say.

What's more is he knew Akiteru and could give me the information I need to locate him. That is, if he's still alive.

I copied the files of Lind L. Tailor, as well as a few other canidates, onto a flash drive and went to leave the station.

"What are you doing here?" I froze. In front of me was a man with shoulder-length black hair and brown eyes. No doubt an officer, but a young one at that. Fresh out of college if I had to guess. Luckily my ears and tail were hidden.

I began my emergency escape act, which was simply pretend to be confused. Just like at the airport, this trick worked almost every time. It was a bonus if I tricked someone with experience...which I haven't done yet.

"Huh?" I asked, an oblivious look on my face. "Where am I?"

This took the man by surprise. He wasn't expecting that...they never do. "Uh, you're at the police station," he stammered.

"Am I? I guess I was sleepwalking again, it happens a lot," I told him. "Would you be so kind as to point to the exit?"

"I'm not sure if I can do that..." the man said nervously. Yep, he's a rookie. "Maybe we should call your parents."

"I don't have any," I stated. "But If I have to, I can call a friend of mine who'd be able to take me home. I'll need to use the telephone to do so, however."

With that, the man led me to the lobby where he handed me a phone. I dialed Watari's number.

"Yes?" he answered.

"I need a ride," I told him. "I've been _caught_ sleepwalking again, but the guy who found me doesn't know how I got here...can you pick me up at the police station?"

"Of course, Yugi. As I understand, your docter did have the _files _explaining your condition, am I correct?"

"Yes, but _no one but you_ knows about them."

"Good. I'll be there shortly." Watari then hung up.

"I'm sorry for the inconvenience," I apologized, slipping the flash drive, which he didn't see, into my pocket. "I thought I had my sleepwalking under control, but I guess not."

"Don't worry about it," the man shrugged it off. "We all have our bad days."

When Watari arrived, I bid farewell to the man, who I now know as Matsuda, and slipped into the vehicle.

"That was close," I sighed as I handed the flash drive to L. "It's a good thing that officer was naiive or else I would be dead."

L took the flash drive and placed it into the computer and going through each of the files like I did.

"As close you were to being discovered, I must admit you do know how to make good choices," L stated, putting a finger to his lips. "I have narrowed it down to three of these men. We will speak each of them tomorrow morning and make our confrontation by afternoon."

"You really have this planned out, don't you, Ryuzaki?" I asked.

"Yes, I do," L said. There was a moment of silence until he spoke again. "Yugi."

"Yes?"

"Seeing as you have nearly excellent acting skills, I have a favor to ask."

"What is it?" I tilted my head, one of my ears floping with the gravity.

"I want you to interrogate the criminals and claim that you are L," He said. "I believe it would be of great advantage to you as well as to me."

"Why?"

"Because one of the criminals you will be interrogating is Lind L. Tailor."

~*TimeSkip*~

I took a deep breath. Watari spoke with the prison holding the three criminals, saying that someone was here to speak with them one last time before they would be executed.

I had already interrogated two of them, Ketai Nishigama and Shiki Hatamuri. Believe me when I say it was a nightmare.

I watched as they brought in Lind L. Tailor, who was wearing an orange jumpsuit. He sat down onto the metal chair across from me and allowed the officers to cuff his hands to the table.

Tailor looked at me as they left, leaving me alone with him. As requested, there were no cameras or wire taps in the room. It was just him and me.

"Lind Tailor," I said. "It's a pleasure to meet you."

He smirked. "I'd say the same, if circumstances were different."

"I have a proposition for you, Mr. Tailor," I stated, holding back a shiver of discomfort. "But first I need to know a few things."

"Ask away, my dear." _Please, if there is a god have him make this short and to the point._

I looked at him right in the eye. "What do you know about Ukyo Akiteru?"

He blinked, not expecting that question, but answered, none the less. "He was an old friend from college. I heard he managed to create that genetic laboratory he's been dreaming of."

"Did you keep contact after graduation?"

"As a matter of fact I did, until I heard about his lab burning down."

"Did he say anything about making any sort of breakthrough before you lost contact?"

Tailor looked at me suspiciously before answering. "Yes...about four years ago, just before the fire he had written a letter, me having been arrested at the time, stating that he had managed to successfully fused the genes of a human with that of a wolf. He was still running tests when the fire broke out."

"Was there anything left of the fire, from what you heard of?" I asked, a hint of hope within my voice.

"No." Seeing that the questions were done with, Tailor asked, "Now what was this proposition you had?"

I looked up at him, traces of my slight disappointment disappearing from existence. "How would you like to leave this prison and start over in life?"

"What are you saying?" Tailor had a sign of confusion on his face. "Who are you anyway?"

I smiled. "I am L," I stated smoothly. "And if you help me confront Kira, I will clear you of your death sentence as well as give you freedom with a new identity to live a different life. Do you agree to these terms? Will you help me serve justice?"

I watched as Tailor gave my offer some thought. In the end he looked me in the eye, just as I did earlier and sad firmly, "Yes, I will help you."

_**((Author's Note)) There you have it...again I do plan to write bloopers, but it won't be on this site. As I said, I will post them onto my DeviantArt account as well as the current chapters and then put a link onto my profile leading you to them.**_

_**I hope you enjoyed this chapter and please review.**_

_**Until next time...**_

_**-Garden**_


	8. Chapter 8-EDITED 9-17-15

_**((Author's Note)) Hello once again fellow fanfiction writers, readers, and reviewers alike. I welcome you back for the next chapter. I don't plan on keeping any of you waiting, so here you go.**_

_**Edit: Minor grammatical, narration and Dialogue edits.**_

Chapter 8

I entered the hotel room after speaking with Tailor. As soon as I closed the door, L spoke.

"How'd it go?" he asked. I collapsed onto the couch next to him.

"Lind L. Tailor has agreed to be your proxy," I said. "Watari has everything set up for the confrontation."

L nodded in understanding. "What about your own personal research? Did you find anything?"

I sighed. "Nothing of great significance."

"You seem depressed."

"Do I? I hadn't noticed," I spoke with sarcasm, tearing off my beanie and shaking my head to cool off my ears. When I relaxed, L put a slice of chocolate cake in front of me.

"Have some cake...It might calm you down," L stated emotionlessly. I pushed it away.

"Can't have chocolate," I said. "Highly alergic."

"That's unfortunate." L took the cake back and ate it himself.

I swiped the remote to the TV and turned it on. "The announcement will be coming on soon." Just as I said that, it did.

"We'd like to apologize for the interruption," the announcer stated. "As of now we're bringing you a live world wide broadcast from interpol, ICPO."

"And so it begins," I mutter, sitting back into the couch. "Let's hope I made a good choice in script as well as actor."

"You doubt yourself," L stated.

"We all do at some point in our lives."

"I never did."

The announcer then spoke once more. "We now take you live to the ICPO."

The screen showed Lind L. Tailor dressed in a suit with his name on a plate in front of him. At least he cleans up nice.

Tailor began to speak with confidence. "I head up an international police task force which includes all member nations. I am Lind L. Tailor, otherwise known as L."

"He certainly plays the part well," L commented. I snorted, once again shuffling my cards, waiting for some sort of slip-up.

"Criminals around the world are being murdered by a serial killer. I consider this crime to be the most atrocious act of murder in history," Tailor continued. "I will not rest until the person or persons responsible are brought to justice. Kira, I will hunt you down, I will find you."

"Wow," I said, "didn't expect that much confidence."

"Kira, I've got a pretty good idea what your motivation might be and I can guess what you hope to achieve. However, what you are doing right now..." _Aaaaand, cue the nerve-wracker._ "...is evil." Tailor then gave a smile, as if he already won.

"And Bingo was his name-o," I said. "If anything that would be what sends Kira off to Crazy Town."

"I must admit," L stated, "that smile would drive anyone off edge."

"Why thank you, Ryuzaki." As soon as the words left my mouth, Tailor groaned, clutching his chest before collapsing on the desk.

My breath caught in my throat as I looked over at L, who had a shocked look on his face. He wasn't expecting that...neither of us were. "L?"

He signaled me to be quiet before turning on his mic. I watched as the familiar gothic styled L appeared on the TV screen.

"I...I had to test this just in case but I...I never thought it would actually happen." L's voice easily showed the unexpected shock. He took a quick breath to calm down before continuing.

"Kira, it seems you can kill people without having to be there in person. I wouldn't have believed it if I hadn't just witnessed it."

I rolled my eyes. _L the realist, everybody_.

"Listen to me, Kira. If you did indeed kill Lind L. Tailor, the man you just saw die on television, I should tell you that he was an inmate, whose execution was scheduled for today. That was not me," L said. I could easily see Kira have one of those looks that screamed _'dafuq?!'._

"The police arrested him in absolute secrecy, so you wouldn't have heard about him on TV or through the internet. It appears not even you have access to information about these types of criminals," L continued smugly. "But I assure you L is real. I do exist."

_L: one, Kira: zero_, I thought. Then L did what I thought was one of the stupidest things on the planet.

"Now try to kill me!" I looked at L. _What the hell is he doing? _"What's wrong? Can't you do it? Come on!"

I sat there speechless as L continued to taunt Kira. All I could think was, _This is going to become a full-out war._

I sighed in relief when he finally stopped. With the look on his face, however, I knew he had one thing left to say.

"So there are some people you can't kill. You've given me a useful hint. Let me return the favor." Make that a few things.

I began tuning him out as he explained how he pinpointed where to begin when first planing the confrontation that is currently taking place.

"To be completely honest with you, I never expected that things would go this well, but it won't be too long now before I'm able to sentence you to death." _Well, things just took a darker turn._

"Naturally I'm very interested to know how you are able to commit these murders without being present, but I don't mind waiting a little bit longer. You can answer all of my questions when I catch you."

I couldn't help but smile when L said the last few words, "Let's meet again soon, Kira." He then disconnected his mic and the TV went static.

L looked at me with an un L-ish smile on his face. "How'd I do?"

I gave him a look that I believe his mother would have given if she could. "Other that the fact you tried to get yourself killed, I don't see the point in you asking, do you?" He shook his head and I stretched. "So, what's phase two?"

"Phase two won't be explained until morning, so you should go to bed and rest."

I yawned and stood up, heading toward the one bedroom to go to sleep. "I think I've said this before, but you really know how to plan ahead. Do you ever have a plan B if this one fails?"

L didn't answer as he also stood up from the couch and made his way to the wall-sized window overlooking the city below.

"Kira...I will hunt you down wherever you're hiding and I will eliminate you. I am...Justice."

I poked my head out of the bedroom door. "Hey 'Justice' would you mind keeping it down? Unlike you, there are people in this country that want to sleep."

_**((Author's Note)) Thank God for Transcripts! I don't know what I'd do without them.**_

_**I hope you enjoyed this chapter. And please, I beg you, please, please please, review.**_

_**Until next time...**_

_**-Garden**_


	9. Chapter 9-EDITED 10-5-15

_**((Author's Notes)) Nothing much to say here except Enjoy.**_

_**Edit: slight grammatical edits and addition to narration and dialogue.**_

Chapter 9

I was currently filling Near and Mello in with what's going on. Aparrently, however, he got attatched to my laptop, so I had to get a new one. So a note to all you fangirls out there, if you want to keep your electronic devices, keep them away from L...I was lucky enough to be able to move all my stuff to the new computer, before he completely cleaned it out.

"So yesterday, he confirmed to the police that Kira is indeed a student. There has also been suspicion of a leak of information, so L is having Watari bring in a group of FBI agents to tail the NPA. He is very certain Kira is apart of one of their families," I reported.

"That makes perfect sence, considering the fact that police information is easily accesible given the correct circumstances," Near said critically.

I looked at Mello through the computer screen. He was unnatually quiet throughout most of the conversation. "What do you think, Mell?"

"Stop calling me that," he replied grouchily. He was, of course, chowing down on a chocolate bar. "And to answer your question, I think Kira would most likely be apart of one of the higher ups. Like the Director, or Chief of Police...someone with the easiest access to the files."

"At least we have something to narrow down on," I thought out loud. There was a rapid knock on the door and the boys turned around before Matt burst into the room.

"Guys, you won't believe it," he said excitedly. "I think I may have found a source for Yugi's research."

My ears perked up excitedly. "You did?"

He looked at the screen and nodded, pulling up his goggles. "Yeah. It turns out Akiteru had a wife and son that live in Iran."

"Are you serious?!" I exclaimed excitedly. Matt nodded again.

"There wasn't much, but I at least got a name."

"Well, what is it?"

"Ezther Darvich."

I laughed with excitement. "Oh my God, thank you! If I were still there I'd give all of you a hug!"

"Um, Yugi," Mello said.

"Now I have a new lead," I continued, ignoring the boys.

"Yugi," Near tried getting my attention.

"I won't be circling old information anymore."

"Hey, Yugi," Matt prompted.

"I gotta start research right away while the name's fresh in my mind. I need all the info I can get on her as well as-"

"YUGI!" all three boys shouted.

"What?" I asked.

"You need to calm down," Matt told me.

"Why?" I questioned.

"Because you're 'wolfing out' again," Mello said, putting air quotes on the words _wolfing out_.

"Huh?" I looked at my arms to see dark teal hair growing at a fast rate. "Damn it," I muttered, my ears flattening against my head.

L then chose to walk in the room. "Yugi, I need you to get some more food from the bakery...we're out of cupcakes," He told me, holding the empty box that was full not even an hour ago.

I sighed. "As much as I love nearly vomiting from the smell of chocolate, no offense, Mello," I glanced at the computer screen where the three boys were still shown, staring blankly at their own monitor screen, "I'm kind of in the middle of a crisis at the moment, as you can see, Ryuzaki, so it might be a while before I can go."

L seemed to ignore me as he turned to leave. "The money is on the counter...I expect it to be gone by the end of the day." I sighed once more before saluting.

"Yes, oh Great Insomniatic Detective of Doom," I spoke with a hint of sarcasm. He didn't say anything as he closed the door behind him. I turned back to the computer. "Honestly, he eats more sweets that Mell does chocolate," I muttered. "No wonder he doesn't sleep."

"Stop calling me that!" Mello shouted.

"Why? You let Matt call you that," I stated, "is it reserved only for him? Or does it make you blush whenever I do?" I gave him a wolf-ish smirk (get it? lol).

Mello didn't answer and I did barely see an extremely faint dust of light pink cross his nose.

"Look, I have to go," I said after a moment of silence. "Not only do I have research to catch up on, but if I don't get them sweets, L might get pissed...and as much as I enjoy dancing on it, I don't want to cross that line." I then signed off from them and began my research first to calm down before I went out in public. Subconciously I gripped the cross on the collar that Mello gave me, the sign of our truce...and possible friendship.

_Esther Darvich is the wife of famous genetic scientist Ukyo Akiteru and the co-founder of Akiteru labs..._

**Mello's Pov (3rd person)**

When Yugi signed off, Mello was the first to leave. The way he did so, people would assume he was angry and would avoid him, lest feel his wrath.

However, it wasn't anger that drove him out into the courtyard that surrounded Wammy house. In fact, he wasn't mad at all.

To speak the truth, the young boy of thirteen didn't know how he felt; there was boredom, due to the fact Yugi wasn't there to bother him on a regular basis, and when she contacted him and Near for updates he would feel an excitement for being able to at least help in the investigation, but then feel frustrated when Near got to tell her first, and today it bugged him to no end when Yugi continued to call him that stupid nickname.

Mell, that name made him feel more ridiculus than he already did. _How the fuck is she able to get under my skin?_ Mello wondered. He was use to Near doing this all the time...but Yugi managed to dig even deeper.

What bothered him the most, was that he didn't know what he felt when it came to the teal-haired wolf-girl. At first it was absolute hate when they first met. She was the most different...more so than Near, as far as Mello was concerned, and she didn't belong.

Over the course of two years, however, their relationship moved from sworn enemies, to extreme rivalry, to somewhat of a frenimies type relationship. Mello pulled his rosary out from under his shirt and looked at the silver cross.

It belonged to his mother before she died of cancer. She was catholic, much to his so-called father's dislike. The bastard left before Mello was even born.

Mello held the cross tight in his fist as he remembered the collar he gave Yugi before she left. He didn't know what drove him to offer the truce, let alone why he hoped it wasn't temporary.

The best way he could describe how he felt was like this: Yugi was like a drug he hated, but couldn't get enough of; and during the events of this case, he felt a form of withdrawl. Like shock therapy to his guts, tearing him apart. Little did he know...

He was falling in love.

_**((Author's Note)) Ooo, cat's out of the bag! Who knew that long distance would cause this?**_

_**Honestly, only one thing comes to mind when I wrote that last part:**_

_**AWWW SO KAWAII!**_

_**I decided to write Mello's Pov to show how he was dealing with the Kira case, as well as getting to know what was going on in that little blonde head of his.**_

_**Apologies if he seems out of character, but I think this was a good touch.**_

_**I have no more to say, now except to enjoy your week.**_

_**Until next time...**_

_**-Garden**_


	10. Chapter 10-EDITED 10-7-15

_**((Author's Note)) I hate to admit it...but I'm slowly losing momentum in writing this. I hate it when I get a good Idea, then it slips away before I can write it down. Oh, well...I guess I will have to make due with what I can.**_

_**Edit: Major plot change and slight character change.**_

Chapter 10

I trudged down the street wearing my beanie to hide my ears, muttering up a storm. "Stupid L and his stupid sugar addiction."

I entered the bakery that was just down the street from the hotel we were currently staying at. Without wasting any time, I walked up to the counter.

"What can I get for ya hun?" the woman asked.

I thought for a second before answering, "Ten boxes of cupcakes, a few dozen of assorted doughnuts, and your best strawberry cheesecake... To go."

The woman gave me a quizzical look before writing down the order. "Anything else?"

I glanced at the overhead menu. "Maybe add a small box of Peanut Butter cookies to go along with that," I told her. She added it.

"It may take a while to get everything, so you can take a seat until your order is ready." I nod and made my way past woman behind me.

I couldn't really see her face from where I was standing, but she was slightly taller than me and wearing a dull colored dress with a cloak shadowing her eyes. I stared for a moment before looking away, sensing a form of familiarity.

I took a seat at a bench by the window, deciding to sit like Near with one knee close to my chest while the other was toutching the floor. I use to do this when I was younger, back when Near was showing me how to analyze things from a different perspective as well as my own. Sure I was older than him, but he was much more mature than I was.

"Mind if I sit with you?" I looked up to see the woman standing in front of me. I shrugged with indifference and she took a seat in the space next to me while keeping a respectable distance.

I rested my chin on my elevated knee as I watched people enter and exit the bakery. My mind started to wander until it was pulled back into reality when the woman asked, "Aren't you cold?"

I looked at her. before looking at my attire. I was only wearing a pair of denim shorts and a grey Tshirt that said Dog Tired with a cartoon depiction of a sleepy beagle.

"No."

"You're wearing shorts in December...how can you do that?" the woman asked.

I sighed. "It's complicated."

"I'm willing to listen," she insisted.

I kept quiet as the bakery filled up with more people. Something about the woman made me want to confide in her, but because of the circumstances, i couldn't.

"That's a strange hair color," she stated after a while. "Did you dye it or something?"

"It's natural," I muttered.

"Really?" The woman smiled. "I've never seen that color in hair for a long time, natural or not." I wasn't sure if that was an insult or a compliment, but I decided to humor her and talk to her a bit.

_Something about her is strange, I thought, yet also familiar,_ I thought as our conversation continued.

"You know, you oddly remind me of my husband, before he disappeared," the woman commented.

"Oh?" my ears perked up in interest. "What happened?"

The woman sighed before pulling back her hood, revealing her dark brown hair and tired grey eyes. She looked at me and I then realized why she was so familiar.

She was the woman on the plane the night I came to Japan.

"That is what I'm here to find out," she said. "I want to find my husband, and maybe if I'm lucky, my daughter as well."

"You have a daughter?" I asked.

The counter bell rang. "Ten dozen cupcakes, three dozen doughnuts, cheesecake, and an order of cookies," the woman called out.

"That's my order," I sighed as I stood up, and cracked my back out of its bent position. I may have pretended to be L once, but I don't want to stand like him all the time.

As I went up and paid for the sweets, I noticed the woman look at me. "That's quite a lot of sweets, don't you think?"

I shrugged. "Well, when you're staying with an insomniac who eats nothing but sweets, you learn to live with it," I said, picking up the stacked boxes.

"Relative?"

"More like a mentor of sorts." With that, I turned to leave and exited the bakery into the cold, December air. I shivered slightly before walking down the street back to the hotel.

I scratched my ear through my beanie when I heard light footsteps running toward me. "Wait!" The woman called. I turned to look at her.

"That mentor of yours, does he go by L?"

I had to keep my cool as the woman stepped closer. "How should I know?" I asked. "i've never met the guy."

The woman stood closer and looked me in the eye, a smirk crossed her features...one that was greatly simmilar to my own. "You can't lie to me," she said. "Because I have met him. In fact, he's the reason I was able to come here to find my missing family."

I tilted my head slightly, _she could be lying, _I thought, _In fact, she could be Kira_. "How do I know You're not lying?" I asked.

The woman pulled out a cellphone and dialed a number into it before putting it by her ear. Using my hightened hearing ability, I was able to hear the ringing of the other end of the line.

"Yes?" The voice on the other end answered. It was unmistakably L's.

"Ryuzaki, this is Equal," The woman stated bluntly. "I believe I've met one of your successors as planned."

"I see," L said back. "I want the both of you to return to the hotel as soon as possible, my successor will show you where it is."

By now _Equal_ and I had started walking again, and I had my eyes on the windows of the passing shops. My ears were flattened to my head and my face was red. _Stupid L and his stupid tricks._

Something in one of the windows caught my eye and I stopped to get a better look at it.

It was a small rosary, just like Mello's before I accedentally broke it, except instead of red beads, they varied between black, grey, and white. It was smaller than Mello's too, more closer to a phone or gun accessory.

As I began getting an idea in mind, Equal had hung up on L and looked at me. "What day is it?" I asked her.

"December 10th, why?" I shoved the pastries into her arms.

"I need to do something really quick," I told her before running into the store, which happened to be a pawn shop.

With the leftover money I had, I purchased the rosary, along with a revolver with a blue wolf design on the handle. Since I wasn't an official Law Enforcement Officer, I had to bribe a bit extra to get it. And by a bit I mean the last of what I had...and L had left a lot of Yen for me to use.

Once back outside, I took the sweets back and started walking away again, Equal following closely.

I started humming a random tune when we made it to the hotel. I set the sweets on the coffee table and snatched the cookies. _These are mine._

"Ryuzaki, I'm back," I announced as I started munching on one of the peanut butter delights. "Your goodies are on the table, waiting for you."

I then slipped into my temporary bedroom to carry out my small plan. I won't say much, but it involves the rosary I purchased, Mello's gun, and a wash cloth.

The revolver? You can go ahead and call it an early christmas gift from L; especially since I used his money to get it. I'm flat broke and he gave me the money.

_Mello's gonna be so surprised when he checks the mail._

I listened as L and Equal spoke to each other. I couldn't understand what they were sayng, but at the moment, i didn't care.

It wasn't until I heard L's phone ring that I got curious. I set Mello's Gun and the wash cloth on the bed and stepped into the living room.

"Yes?" L said, answering his phone, holding it like he usually did. He glanced in my direction. "I see..." He then held out the phone to me. "It appears to be for you."

I walked over to L and took the phone. "Who is it?" I asked him quietly.

All he said was, "An old friend."

Confused, I put the black cellphone close to my ear, a slight distance away so to not give me an earache. "Hello?" I asked.

"It's been a while, hasn't it my little pet?" A tired, yet familiar voice asked. I gasped.

"B?" I whispered, shocked.

"The one and only," he replied. "I called that excuse of an orphanage, but the old man told me you were unavailable. Thinking he was trying to keep you from speaking with me again, I, albeit reluctantly, had to call the so-called 'world's greatest' detective."

"Still holding that grudge, I see," I said. _Wait a minute... _"You tried calling me before?"

"I've tried calling on countless occasions," BB nearly growled. "They continued to give me dumb-ass excuses like, 'she's busy', 'she's sleeping', and the constant, plain old, 'she's unavailable' along with others that, honestly, tore me apart."

"You poor thing," I said jokingly.

"Don't do that, it really did." BB was sounding like a kid. I could easily see him in an orange jumpsuit pouting next to the telephone that the prison had.

I chuckled, "Sure it did." Knowing Beyond Birthday, almost nothing hurt his feelings. What ever did, I still don't know.

The other end was silent for a moment. "I miss you, ya know," he said.

"Yeah," I said back, "I know."

"Do you miss me?"

"What do you think?" I asked.

BB sighed, but didn't answer my question. "A lot of inmates around here have been dropping dead," he told me instead.

"I know," I said getting serious. "It's been happening all over the world."

"I suppose L is attempting to stop the perpetrator?" BB asked, spitting out L's name.

"Of course," I replied. "Why are you bringing this up?"

"Well..." BB sighed again. The hair on the back of my neck stiffened.

"No," I stated. "You're not saying..."

"I am," BB's voice was softer. "I could never see my own lifespan, you know that..."

"B, you're scaring me," I said, my voice wavering.

"But with what's been going on, I wouldn't be surprised if I was on Kira's checklist."

"Beyond, don't say that!" I exclaimed, but he seemed to ignore me.

"So, just in case this is the last time I'll talk to you," he said, "I just want you to know something."

"B..." I whispered.

"I love you."

"B, please," I begged frantically, " don't hang up!" But it was too late. The dial tone reached my ears before I finished my sentence.

I barely noticed the phone slip from my hand onto the soft carpet as my ears drooped from sudden fatigue. I passed L, who was watching me the entire time.

"I'm going to bed," I said softly. "Good night, Ryuzaki." I turned to Equal. "Welcome to the team."

"Good night, Yugi," L said back as I closed the door.

I ignored the forgotten pistol that had fallen to the floor as I climbed into the large bed. Lying down, I closed my eyes. BB's words rang through my mind as a small tear made its way to the pillow it would share with my head.

_I love you._

_**((Author's Note)) Well, things just got a little darker. I understand if you are confused, but don't worry. Ideas for this story may be starting to become dull, but BB plays a big role in Yugi's past (to which I'm sure at least one of you might have caught onto). I plan to cover that for those who don't yet understand, but not yet.**_

_**Thank you for reading and please review. I greatly treasure your opinions, good or bad, complimenting, or insulting.**_

_**Until next time,**_

_**-Garden**_


	11. Chapter 11-EDITED 10-7-15

_**((Author's Note)) Thank you for still reading my story, even if you don't necessarily like it and think it's boring.**_

_**WARNING: Slight spoilers for Death Note: Another Note**_

_**Please enjoy and review.**_

Chapter 11-Unraveling

"What do you mean all the FBI agents were killed?!" I demanded, glaring at L and Equal. "They weren't even here a month!"

"I'm fully aware of that Yugi," L said, "you don't need to point out the obvious."

"And this message that Kira sent, pointing directly at you," I tossed the copies of the suicide notes onto the coffee table. Lined up under each other they read, L, did you know gods of death love apples?

"What do you think that means?" Equal asked quietly, holding a sleeping Kani in her lap.

"What do _you _think it means?" L threw the question at me like a frisbee. His mood remained passive as he turned his tea into more of a slop with the amount of sugar he put in it.

I looked at the notes again for roughly the twentieth or thirtieth time and sighed. "The best I can come up with would be that either he was hinting at something, like the possible existence of Shinigami, or maybe just a mere distraction while he carried out other plans."

L took a long sip from his beverage of sweetness before speaking again. "I've already considered that first theory as well as dismissed it." He took another drink. "There is no logical way that those things exist."

"As I understand it, nothing in this case seems logical," Equal commented. "We shouldn't keep the thought out of consideration."

"I still don't think they exist," L muttered into his tea. Equal rolled her eyes and set Kani's sleeping form on the couch.

I tried to think of another reason why Kira would send such a pointless message when L spoke once more. "Do you still have Mello's gun?"

I looked up at him. "I sent it back just before the agents arrived. I managed to get my own and restored his and returned it as a birthday present."

"I see...and how did you manage to purchase your own firearm in this country?" L inquired suspiciously. "You can't just walk into a building and purchase one."

"Well," I said. "The man had it on display, claiming that it was just for decoration, I had to pull the stupidest act on my list just to get a good look at it, then..." my ears laid back in embarassment, "I had to spend the last few hundred-thousand yen you gave me just to get it, as well as make sure he'd keep his mouth shut about the ordeal."

"So that's why you went into that shop the night you brought me here," Equal commented. L gave her a look. She looked back. "What?"

L then looked at me. "That money was strictly for food and nothing else," he said.

I shrugged. "You left it on the counter and said, and I quote, 'I expect it to be gone by the end of the day'. You didn't say all of it had to be spent so you can satisfy _your _sweet tooth." I huffed and lied down on the other couch. "Why did you want to know if I still had the gun anyway?"

~*TimeSkip*~

I watched from my horizontal position on the couch, facing the door as a knock was heard. Equal had left earlier with Watari for the time being.

"It's unlocked, please, let yourselves in," L called out.

I watched as each member of the task force filed in. Five in total. L made his appearance, scratching his inner leg with his foot. "I am L."

The eldest of the task force, althoug confused (probably from L's appearance), pulled out his badge, followed by the rest of the task force.

"I'm Yagami of the NPA."

"Matsuda."

"I'm Aizawa."

"Mogi."

"Ukita."

L looked at me and I nodded slightly as I redied the revolver that was hidden from view.

Yagami began to speak. "I'm sorry we're late. Currently, the five of us are-"

I pulled the revolver into view and fired the blank shots right at them. If the bullets were real, each member of the task force would've had one right between the eyes.

"What the hell was that?!" the officer known as Aizawa exclaimed.

L just stared at him passively as my revolver was once again out of sight. "If either of us were Kira, you'd all be dead," he said as if it were the most obvious thing in the world. In truth, it was.

"Kira needs both a face and a name in order to commit murder, surely you all know that," I stated, sitting up. "It's best not to give out your names so carelessly. We should value our lives, after all."

Matsuda's eyes widened when I spoke. "Hey, you're that girl that wandered into the police station a month ago," he pointed out.

"Shocker, huh?" I asked, tilting my head slightly. "Who wouldda thought a confused girl like me was associated with the world's greatest detective?"

"That's enough small talk for now," L interrupted the conversation. "Come this way." The task force followed him away from the door. "Please turn off your cell phones, handhelds and any other communication devices and leave them on the table right there." L pointed to a small table by the kitchen door.

"What do you think? we're gonna be using our cell phones during this meeting to leak information?" Aizawa asked, obviously ticked.

My left ear twitched. "He's paranoid, just do it." Aizawa just glared at me.

"And what are you suppose to be, anyway?" he asked, "Last I checked, Halloween was in October."

I sighed. "And last I checked, afros went out of style after the 80's." I smirked when I noticed Matsuda holding back a laugh. "Besides, cell phones can be extremely distracting when someone tries to talk, don't you think?"

Aizawa didn't answer as he begrudgingly turned off his phone and tossed it onto the table with everyone else's. He then sat down next to Yagami.

As L began the meeting, along with requesting to be called by his alias, I began to let my mind wander.

I still couldn't get BB's voice out of my head. It scared me since I had never heard him sound so defeated...not even when he was caught did he sound that submissive, that...accepting to death.

When I had first met Beyond Birthday, he had planned on killing me. My death was close, he had told me. But then, to his surprise, my life span suddenly lengthened after the police officer who was chasing me collapsed when suffering a fatal heart attack.

He was curious. _How did that happen? _He had wondered. Being so young and a little naive, I though he was the one who saved me. I had unknowingly promised my devotion to a serial killer, and didn't realize that until it was too late, back when he killed Believe Bridesmaid.

Scared out of my wits, I had ran away and right into the life of his second victim, Quarter Queen, who had instantly become a close friend in the four days before her death, which was partially my fault.

It wasn't until the death of Backyard Bottomslash that I had truly began to care for him as more than a friend. It had scared me the day he tried to kill himself to complete his plan.

"I have to send in my report, go ahead without me," I told L, standing up as I did so. I turned on my computer once in the safety of my room and contacted the boys.

**Mello's Pov (3rd Person)**

Mello ran to Roger's office as quick as he could when he heard that Yugi was contacting him and Near.

"What's Up, blondie," Yugi greeted on the computer monitor. Near was already there and had been discussing the current events occouring as they spoke. Mello couldn't help but notice the bit of sadness hidden in her voice, but ignored it as he sat next to the albino. "Did you like your birthday present?"

Mello remembered waking up on December 13th and finding the small package containing his now clean pistol, along with a small rosary decoration, with a note that said, _Happy Birthday, you can have your gun back. From your favorite freak (and the world's greatest detective, even though he doesn't know it)._

Mello only nodded before being filled in with the information Yugi had already relayed to Near. Mello honestly didn't listen to most of it, due to the fact that he was, unknowingly, staring into her dull, bored eyes.

"...They're talking over possible plans as we speak. L had me pretend to shoot at them when they first showed up...It's a shame they weren't wearing their brown pants...at least a few of them were, I think."

"Yugi, are you okay?" Mello asked before he could stop himself. Yugi forced a small smile.

"I'm fine," She replied. "Just a bit tired...juggling between the Kira case and looking for Akiteru is extremely exhausting. Especially with a sugar-high panda man who's sanity I'm beginning to question."

Mello wasn't sure he should believe the girl's story, seeing as she didn't appear to have bags under her eyes.

As the meeting with Yugi ended, Mello had decided to speak to Near, even though he was sure he would vomit due to the fact he would be acting civil toward his rival.

"Do you know what's bothering Yugi?" he had asked him as they left Roger's office.

"She's treated me like a younger brother for almost three years," Near replied. "There's nothing that bothers her that she hasn't mentioned to me yet."

"How do you know she hasn't mentioned anything to you?" Mello asked, grinding his teeth. Although it never bothered him before, he was starting to become jealous of Yugi's close relationship with the white haired genious.

"Actions speak louder than words, Mello," Near told him calmly. "You of all people should know that."

Mello didn't speak as Near left him behind in the hallway.

_**((Author's Note)) I hope you enjoyed the chapter...I plan to sleep for a good long while later. Staring at a computer screen for hours really draws out energy believe it or not.**_

_**until next time...**_

_**-Garden**_


	12. Chapter 12-EDITED 10-15-15

_**((Author's Note)) First order of Business, apologizing.**_

_**I'm sorry for not updating the past couple of weeks...my brother was graduating and a lot of family had come up from all over the place.**_

_**Second order of business...Enjoy this next chapter.**_

_**Edit: no big edits, just some grammatical fixes.**_

Chapter 12

"Amazing!" Matsuda exclaimed as I exited my room after reporting to Near and Mello. "There might only be five of us, but with this much information we should be able to cover a lot of ground."

"We'll split into two teams," Aizawa decided, "one team traces the FBI agents. The other looks at the heart attack victims."

I huffed, "Wow, Aizawa, you perked up pretty quick." My notion was ignored, however.

"There weren't that many people who had access to information from the headquarters, and of those the FBI only investigated a small group in the first five days," Matsuda continued.

I looked at L, who seemed a bit ticked off. _Someone must have interrupted him,_ I thought.

"So, does anyone have any questions?" the detective asked, the agitation laced in his words. The other investigators seemed a little shocked...as if they had forgotten that he was there.

Yagami raised his hand slightly, gaining the attention of the rest of the task force. "Actually Ryuzaki, I do have one question for you," he stated, "And it pertains to what you said to us earlier about how you hate to lose."

L nodded slightly, permitting Yagami to continue.

"Does the fact that you've shown your own face means that you've lost?" he asked. "By just being here are you admitting defeat to Kira?"

L thought for a brief second before replying. "That is right." I looked up at him from the doorway I was still standing at. "By showing my face to you now and by sacrificing the lives of 12 FBI agents, I have lost the battle." And Three...Two...One... L looked away from his toes, which he had taken a small interest to for a miniscule moment and showed determination on his pale, panda face. "But I'm not gonna lose the war." Not sure if I've used this line, but Bingo was his Name-o.

I smirked as L went into Monologue mode. "This is the first time I've ever put my life on the line. I want to show Kira that we're all willing to risk our lives if that's what it takes," He took a small moment to munch on a leftover donut ball (love those to death, by the way) before continuing, "and that justice will prevail no matter what." He then gave an uncharacteristic smile that looked super wierd to me. If this was a TV show, a lot of fangirls would have gone crazy over it.

The taskforce spoke their agreements before L dropped a huge bomb on their heads. " Before we go any further, I have to be absolutely sure that none of you are Kira. So I need to speak with each of you individually before you leave today."

Aizawa was the first to speak out. "What's the deal? He still doesn't trust us?" he burst out, but Yagami calmed him down.

"I think it's a fair request," He told him. "Try to see it from his perspective. Kira's been getting information from our headquarters from the very beginning. So there is a good chance that he is one of us."

"Chief's right," Matsuda jumped in. "Working this case has given us a chance to see him in person."

Aizawa sighed. "He's risking his life to be here."

I couldn't help but speak out, "Good God, Aizawa, are you with him or against him? You're like, contradicting yourself over there!"

Aizawa shot a glare my way while L gave me the look that can now be labeled as specifically for me, which I completely ignored both.

As L began interviewing each of them, I decided to sit on the couch next to Matsuda.

"You really know how to make someone mad," he pointed out while L was interrogating Aizawa.

"I sure do," I told the youngest task force member as I stretched out. "His attitude is fairly simmilar to Mello's when you think about it. And since I've been pushing Mello's buttons for two years, it kind of comes naturally to piss a guy like that off."

"Who's Mello?" Matsuda asked.

"Nobody important," I replied quickly, "Just a kid I grew up with."

There was a small silence between us before Matsuda asked, "are those real?" He pointed to my ears.

I nodded. "of course. Although I consider myself half of the species known as Cannis-lupis, I am in truth roughly ten to twenty percent wolf; which consists of my ears, tail, and hightened senses of sight, smell, and direction."

Matsuda looked confused. "So..."

I sighed. "Yes, my ears are real." I honestly don't know if he's faking his stupidity, but either way, he's way too naive to be Kira. I tilted my head closer to him. "You want to touch one?"

Matsuda blushed, "Uhh..."

"Come on, Matsu," I prompted, "It's just like petting a dog." I took one of his hands and placed it by my ear. "It's not like it'll make my nose bleed or anything."

Reluctanly, Matsuda began petting my ear as if it would hurt him. When he was confident in the fact that my ear was harmless, he smiled a bit. "It's surprisingly soft," he commented.

"Wash it like I wash my hair," I told him. His hand left my ear when the door to L's room opened, revealing the messy haired detective and the bipolar police officer with his head stuck in the 80s.

"Looks like your turn, Matsuda," I patted his shoulder. "Good luck."

Matsuda nodded before standing up from his seat and joining L for his interrogation. Aizawa took his seat next to me.

"How did a kid like you manage to wind up in this case, anyway?" he asked after a while. I shrugged.

"I'm not here for the Kira case. My mission just happens to be in the same place at the same time," I told him. "I just decided to kill two birds with one stone."

Aizawa didn't appear to completely understand, but didn't push the subject. He was trying to be as civil as he could, I could tell, so I decided to try as well.

"Of course L wasn't too happy at first."

"Huh?" Now he was curious.

"Being one of his top three successors, he came to us at the beginning of the case," I told him. "He knew this case would be the most difficult. He told us that we would exchange research over the computer, so that he wouldn't have to risk more lives than necessary."

"Then why...?"

"An incident..." I continued, "More like a memory...in the form of a dream... made me want to know more of how I became this," I gestured to myself. "I know I wasn't born half wolf. That isn't naturally possible.

"Before L left for the airport, I did as much research I could on what I saw in that dream. It led me to the name of a Genetic scientist who might have been involved in this situation. He had a lab here that burned to the ground a few years back. In my dream/memory, I was in a burning building. It was the closest lead I had, and naturally, I followed it.

"So, I stowed away in L's car, managed to get a ticket to Tokyo using my totally awesome acting skills, and here I am," I concluded.

"Are you always this proud of the things you do?" Aizawa asked, "Just to get the answers you want?"

"No," I replied honestly. "In fact, I've had to do a lot things that I'm not proud of; and because of that, my only friend is behind bars on the verge of getting killed."

L and Matsuda returned before the conversation could continue. I noticed that Matsuda was flushed with embarassment, as if he felt that he made a fool of himself.

" I apologize for questioning all of you like that," L said as he sat in his usual crouch on his chair, "but I'm afraid I had no other choice. I've determined that Kira is not among us." Everyone sighed in relief.

"Ryuzaki," Yagami questioned, "how can you be certain that we are all innocent?"

L didn't look at him in the eye when he answered, "Well, to be honest, from the beginning I set a number of traps that would reveal if any of you was Kira, but after speaking with you one-on-one, I don't feel the need." His cellphone then rang, slightly startling the japanese officers. "Excuse me."

Matsuda had a slightly dirty look on his face and I sighed. _It's obvious they still don't trust us._

"Understood, I'm just about finished here anyway," L said, holding his phone with his fore finger and thumb up to his ear. "You have the key, so let yourself in." He then hung up and once again adressed the task force. "Watari and Equal are on their way."

_**((Author's Note)) I think I'll end this chapter here. Once again, I apologize about the past two weeks and hopefully you, my faithful readers, will be so kind as to forgive me.**_

_**Until next week...hopefully,**_

_**-Garden Of Time**_


	13. Chapter 13-EDITED 10-15-15

_**((Author's Note)) I'm not sure if I'll be able to update as often as usual...I have a job interview Monday and I might be too busy to write as often... but I do plan to finish this story, which still has a long way to go, so no need to worry about that.**_

_**So On with the story!**_

_**Warning: spoilers for Death Note: Another Note**_

Chapter 13

I watched the Task Force's faces as Watari walked in with his latest invention. "Gentlemen," he said, "it's an honor to meet all of you."

Aizawa was a bit confused. "This person is Watari?"

"Well it certainly isn't Santa Clause," I pointed out jokingly, getting strange looks from the officers. "...what?"

"What about your usual outfit?" Matsuda asked Watari after an awkward moment of silence.

"If I dressed like that, I'd be announcing to the world that I'm Watari. That's all it takes to give away the location of our headquarters and Ryuzaki," was his answer. Matsuda nodded in understanding. "Ordinarily I would never show my face to any of you. The fact that I'm here is proof that you've won Ryuzaki's trust."

"Now that you mentioned it, I do feel honored," Matsuda laughed nervously.

"I hope you didn't forget about me already, Ryuzaki," Equal called out, making her appearance. Standing behind her legs was little Kani, looking at everyone with big, cobalt eyes.

"Wait a minute," Aizawa interjected. _Oh god, here we go again._ "What's a kid doing here? I thought this was a police investigation, not a daycare program."

"For your information, officer, my son is with me so that the crazy lunatics out there can't hurt him," Equal stated calmly. "I lived here for nine years. It's not like I'm oblivious to the dangers of this world. I'd send him to stay with his father, but in light of certain circumstances I can't." She then turned to Watari, "You may continue."

Watari turned to L. "I've brought those items you requested. It's all here."

"Could you please pass them out to everyone?" the Detective requested.

I tuned out as Watari explained the reason for the fake IDs as well as the use of the special belts. I returned to the real world when I heard Yagami scold Matsuda. Something came to mind.

"Hey, is anyone at the police station right now?" I asked.

Yagami answered, "Actually no one's there at the moment."

"That's not good news," L stated. "We need someone there at all times, work in shifts if you have to."

Yagami nodded. "I understand," he said. "Aizawa, I'll put you in charge of that for today."

Aizawa nodded and took his umbrella and left for the station. I glanced outside to see small specs of snow falling from the sky.

~*TimeSkip*~

_I heard shouting...I smelled smoke...then heard gunshots._

_BB!_

_I quickly ran as fast as I could. Following the scent of smoke._

_I stopped next to a woman in the middle of the doorway. What I saw was horrifying._

_Naomi Misora...the FBI agent that BB was working with...was knelt next to a severely charred body. I took a shaky breath as I realized who it was..._

_Misora put cuffs onto the man's burnt wrists. "Rue Ryuzaki," she said, putting the handcuffs on his wrist. "I arrest you on suspicion of the murders of Believe Bridesmaid, Quarter Queen, and Backyard Bottomslash."_

_"NO!" I screamed, moving toward the black haired agent. I suddenly felt someone's arms grab me and hold me back._

_"_بذار برم_! (__Let me go!)" I screamed in persian. The person who held me obviously didn't understand me._

_I glared at Misora as she dragged BB's body away. "_من امیدوارم که شما مرگ بسیار دردناک است، نائومی _Misora _می میرند_! (__I hope you die a painful death, Naomi Misora!)" I cried angrily. "_من امیدوارم که شما می میرند_! (__I hope you die!)"_

"Yugi, wake up."

My eyes shot open and I sat up, confused at where I was. I looked around until my eyes landed on L, who was at my bedside. I was surprised to see a concerned look on his face as he looked at me.

"Are you alright?" he asked. "You appeared to have been having a bad dream."

I sighed and looked at my furry hands. "I'm fine..." I told him.

An awkward silence fell upon us before L spoke again. "Was it about B?"

I didn't answer right away. Instead I just nodded.

"Do you miss him?"

I looked up at L. "He's my only friend, Ryuzaki, of course I miss him. Even though he lost his mind...even though he killed those people..." I looked away again. "He was the first person to ever see me as another person. Even if he called me his pet most of the time, he never treated me like a monster. I never had to hide from him.

"He didn't want me to see him kill Believe Bridesmaid. He didn't want me to see him as the monster he was. In truth...we were both monsters. When he found me...it was us against the cruel world we called home."

There was more silence between us as L contemplated what I said. I yawned.

"Maybe you should go back to sleep," L suggested. I nodded in agreement and L left the room. Lying back down, I closed my eyes and slowly drifted back to sleep.

L's Pov (3rd Person)

L walked out of the bedroom and closed the door. He honestly couldn't understand why Yugi still cared for B, even after she witnessed him in his crimes.

"Is she alright?" Equal asked. L nodded before sitting across from her. He returned to his crouching position and wrapped his arms around his knees, resting his head so that he covered his facee. After a while of silence, she spoke again.

"I heard her...I heard what she was saying." L raised his head and looked at her, urging her to continue. "She was speaking persian, wasn't she?"

"Your native language," L stated, confirming her thoughts.

Equal smiled. "She's grown up so much. It's a shame it was in this cruel world, but, I can see she's managed to cope."

L nodded. Since before the reign of Kira, people like Yugi had to grow up fast or die.

He then remembered something Watari told him when he was a young child. He had asked his caretaker why people were so cruel.

"Everyone has a reason for what they do," he had told the, back then, five-year-old. "Even if they don't know it themselves."

He shook his head out of the memory and went to his computer. He typed a few keys and a Gothic styled W appeared on the screen.

"Yes, Ryuzaki?" came Watari's voice.

"I would like you to purchase a couple plane tickets," L told the man.

"May I ask the reason?"

L was silent for a moment not sure if he should actually do this. "I need you to take Yugi to Los Angeles for a while. I feel it would make her feel better if she sees..." he hesitated as he forced himself to use Backup's real name, "Beyond Birthday."

"Are you sure?" Watari asked.

L looked toward the closed door which held the soon to be 15-year-old. He hated to admit it, but L had grown accustomed to the Wolf child. When BB first called Yugi those many weeks ago, he felt a spike of protectiveness come over him. He didn't exactly know why. It felt so strange to him.

L sighed. "Yes, Watari. Yugi needs to see him...Even if it's only one last time."

_**((Author's Note)) And there you have it. I apologize if it seems a little short, but It's one in the morning for me right now and I have a busy week ahead of me.**_

_**Please don't be mad if I don't update next week, because I might have a job by then and won't be able to update.**_

_**So, until next time...**_

_**-Garden Of Time**_


	14. Chapter 14-EDITED 10-18-15

_**((Author's Note)) No need to fear, for the next chapter is here!**_

_**Please note that the majority of this chapter is completely original. I've had this idea rolling in my head before even starting this story and now I'm excited that I can finally share it with you all.**_

_**ALSO: You'll finally get to know what Yugi's real name is.**_

_**I was debating whether or not to do this, but then decided, "Hey, she's going to see someone who was born with Shinigami eyes, might as well go ahead."**_

_**So, here ya go.**_

_**Edit: a few grammatical edits and that's it for this chapter.**_

Chapter 14

"So wait...Why are we going to California again?" I asked Watari as we made our way to the airport. I was sitting in the back seat of a black car while Watari was driving.

"Ryuzaki felt that you need a short break from all of the stress and asked me to take you on a small vacation," Watari replied.

I huffed. "We're not going to Disney Land, are we?" I asked. "I've had bad experience in theme parks and I don't want to relive old memories." I shuddered remembering the trip that the orphanage took that one time. I got stuck in one of the tunnels of the supposed "best ride" at the park...with Mello of all people. _God that was a nightmare._

Watari shook his head. "I think you'll be alright with our destination."

"What do you mean?"

The old man just chuckled. "You can just think of it as a small _birthday _present."

I was super confused. It was only the seventeenth of January. My birthday wasn't until the 21st. "Exactly how long are we going to be there?"

"A week."

I nodded in understanding and sat back in the seat. Within a few minutes, Watari and I made it to the airport, got our tickets, and caught the plane that would take us to America.

I looked around the passenger area of the plane, bored out of my mind. I pulled my cards out of my pocket and went through them to occupy myself for a while. Eventually I fell asleep.

_"And here we have Mr. Akiteru's greatest breakthrough..." I heard someone say in a deep voice. I managed to open my eyes to see people dressed in white lab coats. Some of them had clipboards and were writing notes._

_I was in a cyliner shaped container, suspended in some sort of liquid substence used for preservation. I was curled up naked in a tight ball, an oxygen mask over my mouth and nose and tubes connected to various parts of my body. I could see bubbles floating upward from the corner of my vision. __**Where am I? I wondered. What is this?**_

_"This particular specimen of Genetic Science has been under construction for the past nine years. With the help of his wife, he was able to acquire the items he needed for this success."_

_**Specimen of Genetic Science...Is that all that I am?**_

_"Are there any questions?"_

_"Does it have a name?" A young woman asked._

_The man with the deep voice replied, "Akiteru had the tendency to name quite a few of his test subjects. This one he had always refered to as Aruki, which is quite unusual due to the fact that unlike other names he had given, this one did not have any significance to the tests performed. It was simply someting to call it."_

_"What is the secret to this discovery?" A young man asked. "How did he do it?"_

_"I'll tell you how he did it," someone said. Another man appeared in my line of sight. I couldn't see his face, but he appeared to have blonde hair. "Ukyo Akiteru had discovered that to fuse the genetics between human and animal it had to rely not only in simmilar DNA, but also other various cells; Body cells, Blood cells, even Reproductive cells had to be just right in order to create the perfect combination. One slight difference in something as simple as blood type could dramatically alter the results of what you see here today."_

_"Is it able to reproduce?" A woman asked._

_"That factor is unknown at the moment, but as soon as it is fully matures we will be able to test that ability."_

_Testing reproduction? I don't think so. I tried to move. Tried to stretch at least, but only managed to do so slightly, causing the closest people to step back from the sudden movement._

_"Don't worry about that," the man with the deep voice said with a chuckle, "it does that once in a while, showing that it's alive...something simmilar to a fetus in its mother's womb."_

_**Fetus my ass! **__Enraged, I moved more violently, eventually pulling the mask off of my face. The people stepped back even more. I pulled my head back, hitting the glass behind me and causing it to crack._

_The cylender soon shattered, causing the liquid around me to flow everywhere. Without the stuff keeping me suspended, I fell onto the wet floor, sprawled out slightly._

_My sight was fuzzy for a few seconds as people began to scream. I shook my head to get rid of whatever liquid was on my face and looked up. People were running away from me now. But weren't they fascinated not ten seconds ago? I asked myself._

_I sat up and my eye caught the sight of my reflection. I was humanoid, but had the face, fur, and general physical appearance of a teal colored wolf. I tried to stand, but I tipped something on the nearby table over and the wood burst into flames._

"Miss Yugi."

My eyes opened as I felt Watari lightly shake my shoulder. "Where's the Peanut Butter?" I asked groggily to show that I was awake.

"You need to wake up, we're landing," Watari told me. I slowly moved back into a proper sitting position and made sure I had all of my cards before reattatching my seatbelt, which I had taken off when we were safely in the air.

Glancing out the window, I noticed that it was dark. Maybe I can get more sleep when we get a hotel, I thought wit a yawn.

When we Landed and claimed our luggage, Watari rented a car and drove us to a nearby hotel. We were checked in and promptly went upstairs via elevator.

I instantly crashed in one of the rooms in the suite, not bothering to shower or change into pajamas, and fell asleep.

When I woke up the next morning, I decided to clean up and explore the world around me.

One shower and a clean set of clothes later, I was in the living room of the suite, speaking to Watari about my planned ventures. He agreed to let me go, so long as I took a device, a tag of sorts, with me so that I could contact him if anything were to go wrong.

The device was able to attatch to the loop on my collar, so I hooked it there behind the cross that Mello gave me. It was small enough to be easily concealed behind it.

The moment I stepped out of the building, I notice the familiarity of my surroundings. Recognition crossed my features.

"LA..." I said softly to nobody in particular. "He took me to LA." I began walking down the street, looking around the familiar sites as I thought.

_Of all the cities in California, why would L send me here, the city of [fallen]angels? __**((see what I did there lol))**_

Then it occoured to me as I stood in front of a corner store with strawberry jam in the window for 75% off. _When I had asked Watari about coming here, he had told me to think of it as a birthday present. _I gasped in realization. He had put emphasis on the word 'birthday'!

_That meant that L had Watari bring me here so I could see BB!_

Excitedly, I ran into the corner store and purchased a large jar of the marked down jam. I'm gonna have to give L a big hug when we get back to Japan. I returned to the hotel within the next few minutes with a skip in my step and a smile on my face.

I entered the hotel and placed the Jam in the fridge to keep it cool.

"I thought you'd be gone longer," Watari stated behind me.

"I got something that needed to be refrigerated immediately," I explained.

"I noticed...is it alright to presume that it was Strawberry Jam?"

I turned around, the smile still on my face. "Yes it is," I replied. I then went up to him and hugged him, slightly to his surprise. "Thank you, Watari."

Watari hugged me back before I pulled away. "It was Ryuzaki's idea," He said, "but your welcome."

When Noon came around, Watari made me a few Peanut Butter Sandwiches (No Jam, since that was reserved for BB). As I ate I couldn't help but ask, "When can I see him?"

Watari gave me a small smile, like he was looking at his granddaughter. "I was thinking we'd go whenever you were ready."

I looked at him pleadingly. "As soon as I'm done with my sandwich?" I offered. He gave another smile and nodded. I tried to finish it as fast as I could.

~*TimeSkip*~

I bounced on the balls of my feet with impatience, the now cooler jar of jam in my hands, as Watari spoke with the guy he had to talk to in order to be able to see BB.

The guard finally agreed after seeing the art of perfect acting, and after checking to see if the jam had any weapons in it allowed, we followed him into some sort of visiting area.

"If you'll please wait here..." the guard said before disappearing for a brief second.

I looked down at the jar of Jam in my hands. "I hope he still loves it," I muttered.

"Aruki?"

My ears swiviled under my hat as I heard his voice. My throat tightened as I lifted my head and turned around.

There he was. His hair was no longer black, but its natural dark brown, and it was slightly longer. His skin was still pale, and dark circles still marked his red eyes. It was my only friend, still in the flesh.

I don't know how fast it happend, but I somehow made it across the room and into his arms. I was crying as I held him tight against me. The scent of strawberries still filled my nostrills, although it was rather faint.

"Shhh," he whispered, stroking the back of my neck like he use to when I was upset. "I'm here, pet." I continued to cry on his shoulder as the guard returned to his post.

"I'm here."

_**((Author's Note)) Holy mother of birds, the feels are killing me!**_

_**I hope you enjoyed this chapter and I hope you express that in a review, although that isn't a requirement.**_

_**Hey, I managed to update earlier than I have been (even though it's only by a few hours).**_

_**Until next time...**_

_**-Garden**_


	15. Chapter 15-EDITED 10-19-15

_**((Author's Note)) Here I am, back with another amazing chapter of this totally awesome story.**_

_**Before I begin, I just want to thank all of my faithful reviewers as well as the readers who don't make themselves known (yes, I'm talking to you random stranger reading this on their Ipod). I also want to thank you who have favorited this story and followed it.**_

_**YO! If you guys want to know how Yugi and Mello first met and how their rivalry truly began, I have a one-shot on my profle labeled Welcome to Wammy's I had posted it a few days ago and I want you guys to let me know how good it is.**_

_**Edit: light grammatical and plot edits, as well as a different End Note**_

_**And with that out of the way, I now present the next chapter.**_

_**Warning: very minisule spoiler for the anime/manga Akazukin Chacha**_

Chapter 15

BB and I sat in his cell for hours. Just being in each other's presence was enough to make me smile.

"I've missed you, Aruki," he finally said, reaching up and rubbing the base of one of my ears.

I leaned into his touch and closed my eyes in comfort. "I've missed you too, B." Then, remembering the jar that was still in my hands, I straightened up and handed it to him. His crimson eyes brightened up like a child's on christmas morning. "Not sure if it's actually fresh, but I thought you'd love it either way."

He took the jar and opened it slowly to make sure this wasn't a dream. He looked at me before hesitantly dipping a long, pale finger into the red slime and sticking it in his mouth.

I smiled widely as BB began to devour the jam. The grin on his face showing how extatic he was.

"You look happy," I pointed out. BB chuckled.

"You would be too if you had to live with piece-of-shit food for the rest of your life," he said, licking the last of the jam from his fingers. "Did you know that the same stuff here is served in public schools for lunch?"

I gasped over damatically. "No way!"

"I pity those poor souls," BB said. We laughed at the small statement. I lied back on the hard, stone-like bed and looked at the celing. "Aruki, remember this?"

I looked over at BB to see him holding a slightly torn issue of Akazukin Chacha. "How could I forget?" I asked. "It was the first manga I've ever read thanks to you." I sat back up and moved next to him as he opened the cover.

We sat there for a while, just reading the manga as if it were brand new; as if he was never arrested.

"I still can't believe Marin doesn't realize that Riiya is a werewolf," I sighed, shaking my head.

"That's nothing compared to the fact that Sorges hasn't been fired yet," BB argued. I shrugged.

"Guess that's true."

We continued reading the manga, and BB eventually wrapped his arm around me. "You know, Ruki, I never got the chance to hold you like this."

I sighed and leaned into his shoulder. "Yeah. When we met, I was a nine-year-old pup who was afraid to be touched. I nearly get killed and here, this psychopath, a man with the ability to see when people would die, comes to my rescue." I looked up at B. "I didn't know it then, but...I would always love that psychopath."

We stayed quiet for a moment longer before BB began to shake. I was confused as I pulled away until I realized that he was laughing.

"Hehehehehe," he chuckled, gradually getting louder until, "Kyahahahahahah!" He laughed like that for I don't know how long. When he got his act together, he gave me a look.

"What?" I asked.

BB chuckled again. "You finally said it. And for a while I didn't think you really loved me." I smirked before turning and pushing B off of the bed. "Whoah!" He exclaimed, landing on his back.

I laughed and stood over him. Bending over slightly, I asked, "Now what made you think that?"

BB shrugged as he held out his hand for me to pull him up. I reached down and took his hand, and pulled, but he pulled harder and I fell on top of him.

I yelped as my head hit his chest, but I couldn't help but laugh. I pushed myself up and looked into his crimson eyes.

"Aruki?" BB asked in a near whisper.

"Hm?"

"Could you say it again...but in Persian?"

"Yugi." I looked up to see Watari standing in front of the cell entrance. "It's time to go."

"Awww," BB and I whined.

"Can't I stay just a little longer?" I asked. BB sat us up so that i was in his lap.

Watari sighed at my childishness. "I'm afraid not. The inmates have a curfew to follow, after all."

I pouted slightly before an idea struck. "Then can we come back tomorrow?" I looked at him with big golden orbs. "Please?"

Watari appeared to give a bit of thought. "How about in a few days?" he suggested. I scrunched my eyes in confusion until he elaborated; "On the twenty first, perhaps?"

I looked at BB excitedly. The 21st was my fifteenth birthday. BB also gave a bit of thought before nodding in approval. "See ya on the 21st, then, Pet."

I gave BB a big hug. When I did, he whispered in my ear, "I hate to admit it, but that old fart isn't always a pain in my ass. He did help take care of my pet after all." I giggled slightly at the hushed comment. I went to pull away but he held me tightly before also saying, "I meant what I said on the phone...I do love you, Ruki."

I sighed forlornly. "I love you too, Beyond." He finally let me pull away and I stood up.

On the ride back to the hotel, I watched the buildings pass by through the window with my hands in my pockets. A thought crossed my mind as Watari pulled into the parking lot.

"Ryuzaki didn't come because of personal reasons right?" I asked. "I mean, I know part of the reason was because of the Kira case, but I seriously doubt that's the entire reason."

"I'm afraid it's not really my place to say," Watari admitted as we walked into the elevator leading to the floor our suite was on. "But I think you can figure it out with that head of yours, you were second before you snuck into the trunk of the limo if I'm not mistaken."

I blushed slightly and scratched the back of my head. By now we had entered the hotel room. "Yeah...About that..."

"No need to say anything," Watari told me. "I understand the sircumstances." I sighed in relief.

"Now," he said, "What would you like for dinner? After all, this 'old fart' still has full responsibility of you until we return to Japan." I couldn't help but laugh. I didn't even realize how good his listening skills were until that statement.

_**((Author's Note)) To those who are rereading this due to editing, I wish to apologise for the major leave of absence, but don't worry, I'm almost done with editing the last few chapters and will begin writing chapter 20 as soon as possible.**_

_**To all new readers, I hope you enjoyed this reupped version of Chapter 15. Let me know if you like it, I'd love to read your feedback.**_

_**Also, I did make this chapter a bit shorter than the original, but that was because the removed portion became irrelevant to the storyline.**_

_**Until Next Time...**_

_**-Garden**_


	16. Chapter 16-EDITED 11-3-15

**((Author's Note)) I'm back my little flowers! That is now your official group name when you are in my presence.**

**Once again I must apologize for the lateness of the chapter. Let me tell you, my job is EXHAUSTING! Having to work late the last couple of weeks, I wasn't able to get onto the computer and work on this. So again, I'm sorry.**

**Now prepare yourself, because this chapter has A LOT of feels...also a bunch of you are probably going to hate me.**

**So let's get this over with.**

**Edit: slight grammatical edits and a slight addition to dialogue.**

Chapter 16

I bounced in excitement as Watari unlocked the door to the car. It was finally time for me to go and see BB again. _BEST BIRTHDAY EVER!_

I clung to the slice of peanut butter cake that Watari had made last night as we entered the heavily guarded building. A different guard was there to check the cake for weapons this time, but I made sure he didn't ruin it.

When B entered my field of vision, I ran and nearly glomped him.

"Happy birthday, pet," he told me.

I smiled. "It is now."

"Yugi." I turned around to look at Watari and the guard that let us in. "I've spoken to the warden, and he decided that, with officer supervision of course, it would be alright for you and BB to spend the day outside."

BB gave a confused look. "All that's outside is a basketball court and whatever that place where we have to break rocks is called."

The guard rolled his eyes and gave an annoyed sigh. "He means that the warden is going to let you out for the day...into society."

BB continued with the confused look until he understood what was being said. "Oooooh."

"But it's just for the day, and if need be we'll drag your ass back here at ten o'clock sharp."

"Hey," BB said, covering where my ears would be if I were completely human. "Watch your language, there's a child present."

I sighed and pulled his hands off of my head. "B, do you forget that I'm a fifteen-year-old Savat master who has heard worse come out of your filthy mouth for three years straight?"

BB looked at me for a second before nodding. "Yes...yes I do."

BB was allowed to change out of the orange jumpsuit and when he reappeared, he didn't look too different from when I first met him. The only things different was that his unruly hair was back to it's natural dark brown color and his skin was partially pink from the burn scars.

The guard that would be supervising escorted us out of the building and into the world. While we walked down the streets of LA, I remembered the cake that was still in my hands.

"Here," I gave him the cake and his eyes brightend even more. "I can't enjoy my birthday without cake. I already ate some, but I figured you'd want a slice."

BB took the cake and ate it happily. His eyes wandered the area as he munched on the pastry, huge as if he had never seen the world before. Suddely, he grabbed my hand and dragged me off.

For the entire day, B and I went all over the city. I had to hold him back a couple times when a vendor was handing out free jam.

"Come on, Ruki, you know how much I love Jam!" he whined.

"You had a whole jar to yourself last time I visited."

"But that was so long ago!"

"Two days wasn't long ago, B."

BB gave me a look that rivaled my own when I would beg for things. "Please?"

I rolled my eyes and smirked. "Why should I?"

B only answered by tilting his head to the side like I always did. "Because I'm adorable." I gave him a look and he tilted his head the other way. "And you love me." He concluded by making his eyes huge.

I huffed. "You can get in trouble for saying things like that you know. Especially when there's a prison guard watching your every move." I nodded my head across the street where the guard was watching us like a hawk.

BB shrugged. "I think we're fine as long as we don't kiss. It's not exactly right for people my age to be with minors after all."

"Oh, god." I muttered, taking a small step away from him. "You've killed people in horrible ways and you choose _now _to follow the law?"

"Just give in to my pure adorable-ness and give me some jam," B commanded, making his red eyes slightly larger. "You know you want to."

I heaved a sigh and took one of the few jars of jam that the vendor still had while muttering, "Sometimes It amazes me that you're actually five years older than me and not the other way around."

BB's eyes brightened when he saw the jam, but then scrunched in confusion when I opened the jar. A mischivous smirk crossed my features as I took a big glop of the crimson substance in my hand and smeared it all over his face. "Here's your Jam."

His expression was priceless. I roared with laughter. From across the street I could tell that the guard was trying to hold back his amusement.

B feigned a disappointed look and shook his head. "What a waste of perfectly good jam." He then took the jam out of my hands and pulled something I never thought he would do...

...He took my beanie off of my head, exposing my ears before dumping the jam into the hat. He then gave me the insane look he had before he was arrested, albeit a more playful rendition of it.

Seeing his intentions, I moved to run past him; but not without getting caught by his quick reflexes. I struggled to get out of his grip, screaming and lauging.

The outbursts caught in my throat, however when I felt BB shove the now Jam-filled beanie back onto my head. I cringed at the sticky feeling as the slightly cool substance got absorbed by the teal locks that covered my scalp and ears.

"KYAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!" BB laughed at me with his signature laugh. I huffed in discomfort.

"You owe me a new hat, Beyond," I grumbled. That was my favorite beanie, too.

"Come on, Aruki, don't be so sour," B pleaded, wiping some jam off of his face and licking it off of his finger. "You look too sweet to do that. I might just eat you up." He gave me a wink.

I glared at B. "Will you stop with the inuendos?"

He chuckled once more. "Nope."

~*TimeSkip*~

"Were'd you get that collar? It looks cute on you," B wondered. We were back in his prison cell and he was back in his orange Jumpsuit. I made a quick stop at the hotel to change and get the Jam out of my hair prior to the return. I was wearing a pair of ripped denim shorts and a tshirt that said Warning: Dangerously Cute and had a siberian husky with big eyes on it.

"A kid at Wammy's gave it to me to symbolize a truce between us."

"Was his name Mello?"

I looked at him quizzically. "How'd you know?"

BB pointed at the cross that hung on the loop. "He was the only one at Wammy's that wore a cross like that all the time. He first showed up about a year or so before I left. A real pain in the ass if you ask me."

I chuckled in agreement. "He kind of reminds me of you," I commented.

"How so?"

I thought for a second. "Considering the fact that you both have a bit of an inferiority complex and were placed second in Wammy's behind someone who could be described as extremely weird and it bothers the both of you when said weird person is mentioned by name," I took a small breath, "You guys aren't that different from each other."

"I see," B nodded, understanding my point. "I also think I see another way we are simmilar."

"And that is?" I asked. BB then wrapped his arms around me and gave me a big hug.

"We both have feelings for you."

I froze in his arms. "What do you mean?"

"Giving you that collar not only signifies the truce you and Mello made; but also the growing love he is feeling toward you."

"Since when did you become a romantic expert?" I wondered, a little dumbstruck by his words. BB pulled away and pulled out a magazine. Upon further inspection I recognized it as an issue of Seventeen. "Seriously?"

"What? It's not like they allow _Playboy _in here," B defended himself.

"You're unbelievable." I rolled my eyes. "Are you sure you're older than me?"

"Rougly 97%," He replied. "Close your eyes."

"Huh?" I was slightly taken aback by the sudden command.

"Close your eyes," he repeated slower. "I have a surprise for you." I heaved a sigh and closed my eyes. I felt him move off the bed and heard him move something out from the space underneath it. The suspense was beginning to kill me, so I risked opening my eyes just a crack. "No peeking," B scolded. I quickly closed my eyes again.

I felt him move back onto the bed and set whatever he had between us. "Now you can open them." My eyes took in the light like a thirsty elephant and I looked down at the object that joined us on the bed.

It was a box wrapped up in newspaper articles. I looked closer to see that the articles were headlines that Kira had made his way into. "What's this?"

"What do you mean 'What's this'?" BB asked exasperated. "It's your birthday present. You can't have a birthday without presents after all. It just isn't done." The way he said that made me laugh. BB then told me to open it.

I tore at the newsprint wrappings until all that was left was the cardboard box. I pulled the flaps of the box open and saw nothing but folded papers. I pulled one out and looked at it.

It was a drawing with childlike proportions. This one in particular looked kind of like me and BB.

I looked at BB. "Did you draw these?"

He nodded. "Every one of them is for you. It kept me from going insane these past couple of years...well, more insane."

I looked at the picture in my hand again. "Thanks." I sat up on my knees and leaned in to whisper in his ear, "من تو را دوست دارم (I love you)."

B smiled and pulled me into a hug. I willingly relaxed into into the embrace and inhaled his musty scent, listening to his steady heartbeat.

Suddenly the beat stops. BB tensed before shouting out in pain. He let go of me moved his arm so that he was grasping at his chest. My eyes widen as he fell onto the hard floor. He was having a heart attack!

I quickly move over to him and put my hand on his chest. "BB," I call out to him. "B...Beyond, look at me." I was getting scared as his eyes met mine.

He grabbed ahold of the hand on his chest and held it tight. "It hurts," he muttered, closing his eyes.

I put my free hand to his face. "B, everything will be okay," I told him reasuringly, even though I think it was to reassure myself more. "Everything will be alright." I looked up toward the cell door that was still slightly open.

"Help!" I shouted. "Somebody, please!"

"Aruki..." I looked back at BB. His breath was shallow and his red orbs were filled with sadness. He moved his other hand to my face and caressed my ear comfortingly. He then said something I didn't understand. "Take my eyes."

"What?" I asked. He's talking nonsense.

"My eyes," B repeated. "Take them." Not knowing what to do, I nodded.

"Okay."

B smiled once again. "I'll always be with you, Aruki...never forget that...promise me you won't forget."

I nodded again, knowing that this would be the last time I see his face. "I promise."

B smiled slightly as he let out a final breath; and I watched as the life left his eyes, leaving them a glazed rendition of what they use to be. His grip on my hand loosened and the hand rubbing my ear fell from where it once was. Tears filled my eyes once my mind could comprehend what had just happened.

Beyond Birthday was dead.

I let the tears flow freely, not caring whether or not the guard who had heard me call for help saw them. I leaned my forehead against B's. The hot tears falling onto his cold cheek.

All of a sudden, hot searing pain filled my senses. My eyes burned like the flames of hell. I closed them to try and get rid of the pain, but it seemed to make it worse. I screamed and rubbed them, trying desperately to get rid of the pain.

When the pain did go away, I hesitantly opened my eyes to see the world in a red hue. I looked up at the guard. He stared at the scene in front of him, frozen in shock. Above his head, clear as day (albeit blurry from my tears), was his name. And below that was a series of numbers.

**Henry David Jacobs**

**2595800**

I didn't bother questioning it. Instead, I looked at BB one last time, and closed his eyes. I smiled slightly. Now he could be sleeping, I thought, even though I knew it wasn't true.

My smile faltered, however; and anger began to bubble in my chest. That heart attack didn't just happen over coincidence. It was murder that took my only friend away...and I knew who was behind it.

Without a drop of shame, and putting all my anger into it, hoping by some miracle he could hear me as a warning, to let him know that I would hunt him down...that I would find him...and I would kill him myself, I screamed that bastard's name as loud as I could.

"KIRA!"

_**((Author's Note)) Let the hate comments fall upon me like snow in a blizzard.**_

_**Now before you start asking, "Why did you kill her only friend, you mean-ass bitch?!" let me explain.**_

_***Ahem* I wanted Yugi to have a reason to go after Kira herself, and I thought "What better reason than revenge?" In my opinion, revenge is one of the best motivators when it comes to this kind of thing. Also I wanted to Keep the storyline as Canon as possible.**_

_**Again, I apologize for the extreme lateness. I've had to work late nights, and it takes alot out on me. Especially when I have to take orders from people who can't seem to hear me, as well as stand for seven hours straight.**_

_**Until next time my flowers...**_

_**-Garden**_

_**PS, what do you guys think about that name? please let me know.**_


	17. Chapter 17-EDITED 11-27-15

_**((Author's Note)) I have returned once again my beautiful little flowers!**_

_**And along with my return comes the next chapter. Less originality since I'm returning to the Main storyline, but it shouldn't be too much of a bother.**_

_**So, here you go.**_

Chapter 17-Glare

I sat in the airport, I was curled up in the chair, my eyes glued shut, so as to not see the countless numbers around me.

Numbers...the one thing I hated more than confined spaces...the one thing that drove me into confined spaces for comfort. For the first few weeks at Wammy's, I was in an unexplainable state of fear between the tight spaces and the numbers.

I tried to block them out the way BB had taught me years ago, by ignoring all but four numbers that were significant to my life. _1, 4, 13, 13._

I muttered those numbers under my breath, but kept my eyes shut as I curled around the box of BB's drawings.

"Yugi." My exposed ears turned to Watari's voice. "Time to go."

I reached out for my luggage and he handed it to me before taking my other hand and leading me to the car.

"Are you alright, Yugi?" Watari asked, glancing at the mirror with a look of concern.

I nodded. "I'm fine," I replied quietly. I allowed my eyes to open, but they remained downcast so they wouldn't see the numbers that would surely haunt my vision.

We made it to the hotel and promptly went to the designated room. Upon entering, it was dark and the only light in the room came from the TV screen.

I easily saw the sillhouettes of L, Equal, and the task force. They turned upon hearing the door open.

L gave us his usual blank look, an ice cream cone was in his hand. "You've returned just in time," he simply stated. "We have just recieved the surveillence footage from the train station the day that Penber died." I nodded in understanding and moved to sit on the couch next to him. "Let's see the following scenes again. Raye Penber passing the ticket gate on his way in, then him boarding the train, and finally the part where he dies on the platform."

Quite rudely, I veered away from the couch and walked toward the bedroom and shut the door without a response to L. Dropping my luggage, I crawled onto the bed and curled up into a fetal position.

**Equal's POV (3rd Person)**

Equal glanced at the closed door confused as Aizawa and Matsuda went through the tapes.

"Let's see," Aizawa muttered, picking up a random tape and looking at the label.

Matsuda pointed to a different tape. "I think it's next to that."

Equal stood up and walked toward Yugi's door and knocked.

"Here it is," Azawa muttered, putting the tape into the player.

"Yugi?" Equal asked.

"Go away!"

Matsuda began reading the records that described the incident. "Raye Penber comes through the West entrance of Shinjuku station at 3:11 pm. Then at 3:13 he boards a train on the Yamanote Line."

"Yugi, what's wrong?"

"I said Go Away!"

"Then at exactly 4:42 p.m., um, oh thank you very much, Watari," Matsuda interrupted himself when Watari had given him an Ice cream cone like L's. "Umm, and at 4:42 p.m., he exits the train at Tokyo station and dies on the platform."

"It's quite strange, don't you think?" L asked dully as Watari handed Yagami and Aizawa each an Ice cream cone as well. Equal had given up on trying to talk to Yugi and took a seat next to L, wrapping her arms around herself in a comforting matter. She was getting really worried about Yugi.

Yagami was confused about L's statement. "I'm sorry. What do you find strange?"

Matsuda looked up from the papers in his hand. " Yeah. What is it? Did you notice something?"

"We know that Raye Penber got on the train, and then an hour and a half later he got off and died on the platform," L explained simply, "But Yamanote line only takes an hour to complete its circuit...And more importantly, there's the envelope." Equal turned her head from Yugi's door and went toward the tv screen that L was looking at.

"Um, what do you mean?" Aizawa wondered, looking at the screen for said envelope.

Equal trained her eyes onto the screen and sure enough, there was a manilla envelope under Raye Penber's arm.

L basically had to point it out to Aizawa for him and the others to see it.

"Oh, you're right! It's there under his arm...But in the footage right before his death, it's gone!"

"Shall we give you a prize?" Equal asked, managing a smirk to crawl on her face briefly.

"Could you please take this seriously?" Aizawa asked, annoyance laced in his tone, dulled from lack of sleep. "Honestly, you're almost as bad as that girl."

"You need to loosen up a bit, Aizawa."

"I don't see an envelope on this list of his personal effects," Yagami interrupted the small spat.

"Which means it was left on the train," L said. He then fast forwarded the tape slightly, showing the image of Penber the moment he died. Equal looked back at the closed door once more. "If you watch closely the very end here, it seems like he's straining to look inside the train before the door's close."

"If that's the case, do you think it could mean something?" Yagami asked.

"Wouldn't it be interesting if Kira was on that train?"

"That's impossible."

"Actually it isn't," Equal said, getting back on task. "It's hard to believe since there doesn't appear to be a reason to come to the scene of his own crime when he can kill from a distance; but he might have been counting us to make that assumption and figured he could get away with such a bold move. For all we know, though, he might as well have had a reason to be there."

"What do you mean, Equal?" Matsuda asked.

The brunette tilted her head slightly, her grey eyes were closed in though. "Let's say Kira was at the train station that day. Say, he made contact with Penber and had him do something that involved puting something into the envelope, or possibly taking something out of it. Perhaps whatever was in the envelope was Kira's weapon. He might have threatened Penber with his life if he didn't cooperate with his plans...But then again, it's just a thought. For all I know, I could be completely wrong. Maybe We're just getting desperate."

A phone suddenly rang and Watari answered it. "Yes?...Yes would you please hold for a moment?" He turned to L, who had stood up. His seat was now occupied by Matsuda. "Ryuzaki, it's Ukita at the NPA. He says he's on the phone with someone from the tip line who has information for us."

L nodded. "Right. Then give Ukita the number for line 5 and ask him to have the informant call that line instead, it will be safer that way."

"Matsuda," Equal got the officer's attention. He looked at her. "You can go ahead and turn your phone on now."

"Uh, okay." Matsuda pulled out his cell phone and turned it on. Almost immediately it began to ring. L took it out of his hand and answered it. Matsuda had a slightly annoyed look on his face.

"Yes, this is Suzuki, head of Kira's investigation public information division," He drawled in a bored tone.

I heard Yugi's door open slightly and saw a golden eye glowing in the darkness of the room it came from, clear as day, although not looking at anyone.

"Naomi Misora," L voiced out loud. The golden eye flashed red as Yugi hesitantly poked her head out, her eyes still downcast.

"Apparently she's been missing since the day after her fiance died," L stated, hanging up the phone and returning it to Matsuda.

"I'm sure that anyone in her situation would be pretty depressed," the youngest of the task force commented. When he said that, a pang of guilt hit my chest. "Was it..."

"Suicide?" Aizawa finished.

"No, she wouldn't have done that," Yugi denied softly from the doorway. "She was strong."

"Not to mention, she was also an excellent agent," L said. "If anything, it's more likely she'd be trying to catch Kira."

"Sounds like something she'd do," Yugi stated. "If she came to Japan with Penber, it's possible that she may have found a lead."

"If that's the case, did Kira manage to get to her first?" Equal glanced at L as he made a quick, mental decision.

"Everyone, at this point I'd like to focus our investigation on only those people who Raye Penber was tailing," he announced. "In particular he was assigned to two police officers and those closest to them."

Equal looked at Yagami, who looked willing to go with anything that L decided. _He must also be desperate to catch Kira_. "Very well. Who are these two individuals he was investigating?"

L gave a small smirk as he replied, "Deputy Director Kitamura..." he then turned to look at Yagami over his shoulder, "along with Detective Superintendent Yagami and their families." Yagami's expression turned into that of shock. "At this stage, I'd like to place wiretaps and surveillance cameras in both households."

The task force members began to argue with L and all the shouting gave Equal a headache. Getting annoyed, she stood up and announced her departure.

"I'm going to the bakery!"

"Please get some cupcakes while you're there," L called back before continuing the argument. Equal nodded before glancing toward the wolf girl, preparing to offer her to come with, but Yugi had returned to her bedroom.

Sighing, Equal left the hotel room and closed the door behind her.

**L's POV (3rd Person)**

After settling the agreement between the task force, they began looking over more of the station footage.

All of a sudden, a loud wail came from Yugi's bedroom. Out of parental instinct, Aizawa ran to the room and knocked on the door.

"Yugi, open the door, please," he demanded.

The wailing continued as the other task force members gathered around the door. Matsuda tried the doorknob.

"It's jammed!" he exclaimed.

L stood from his position on the couch and calmly walked toward the door. "Stand back," he told everyone.

When they were out of the way, L spun and threw a hard kick to the door, breaking it down easily.

The room was dark, and when Mogi turned on the light what they saw was shocking.

The room was a mess, as if a tornado went through it. Papers scattered on the floor, and the bed was nothing but a pile of wadded up sheets.

In the middle of the floor, Yugi was sprawled out on her back, her chest moving rapidly as she breathed heavily. L noticed a sheet of sweat on her pale face.

Aizawa ran up to her and kneeled down to touch her brow. "She's burning up," he stated.

"We need to get her to a hospital!" Matsuda exclaimed.

"Mogi, call an ambulance," Yagami commanded.

"No."

Everyone looked at L as he slowly walked over to Yugi and knelt down next to Aizawa, touching his fingertips to her face for confirmation of his assumptions.

Her skin was hot to the touch, just as Aizawa said, but the rest of the symptoms that L could see easily let him figure out what was wrong.

"One of you go get Equal and tell her what's going on," I commanded. "She'll know what to do about this."

Yagami and Mogi ran out the door to go find her just as Yugi let out another scream. Her hands dug into the carpet as her skin started to grow mass amounts of dark teal fur and her face took a more angular shape.

"Uh, Ryuzaki, what exactly _is_ going on?" Matsuda asked.

"Her body is desperately trying to lower its temperature, but it's putting her in a lot of stress," L explained. "Aizawa, when she starts to get violent, I want you to hold her down any way you have to."

"Er, okay, but I still don't understand what's causing this."

L sighed in annoyance. "Yugi wasn't born like this. She was born a regular human being."

"I remember her mentioning that once…" Aizawa thought aloud.

"Her father, the genetic scientist she's looking for, Ukyo Akiteru, turned her into this," L continued. "Ever since then, she's had to go through cycles on account of her animal genes 'fighting' her human genes. This results in a spike of her body temperature that she can't handle. When she's under high levels of stress, she gains a more wolfish appearance."

Aizawa nodded in slight understanding. "So why does she get violent in these episodes?" he asked.

L looked at him and then at Matsuda, who was also curious about that fact. He opened his mouth to answer. "Sexual aggressiveness."

"Sexual aggressiveness?!" Aizawa exclaimed.

"In simpler terms," L said, "She's gone into heat."

Suddenly, Yugi lunged at L. Aizawa pulled her back and pinned her to the floor. She snarled as she thrashed around, trying to get out of the man's grip.

"Matsuda!" Aizawa yelled, "help me hold her down." The younger officer ran up did as he said, eager to help in some way. It wasn't long, though until he also had a hard time holding her down.

"Oh man, I hope Equal gets here soon."

_**((Author's Note)) Sorry for the extremely late Re-update. As of late, my life has gotten extremely out of hand and I haven't been able to get the time to finish editing and adding to this chapter.**_

_**As you can see, I've changed this chapter a lot. I did this to make it seem more realistic to what I had originally planned.**_

_**I'll try to get the next chapter re-edited faster I did this one, but I make no promises.**_

_**OH also, for those who don't know, I've also moved the beginning of the little game I made to this chapter.**_

_**The game goes like this: I want you to figure out the significance of the numbers that Yugi mentioned at the beginning of the chapter; 1, 4, 13, 13.**_

_**You can enter as many times as you want, and the winner gets a One-Shot with any Death Note Character doing anything they want with Anyone they want. This will be discussed later when the winner is announced.**_

_**I had also revealed a hint and I'll put it here as well.**_

_**Hint: It is a Person, a Place, and a Thing**_

_**This contest is ongoing until the answer is revealed in the plot and that is when the winner will be announced.**_

_**Anyway, I hope you enjoyed this chapter.**_

_**And until next time...**_

_**-Garden**_


	18. Chapter 18-EDITED 11-28-15

_**((Author's Note)) What's up my little flowers, I have returned once again with another (and hopefully better) chapter. I hope you enjoy.**_

_**Also, there is a bit of a surprise for the beginning of this chapter.**_

_**Spoiler alert: Matt, Mello and Near's names are revealed.**_

Chapter 18

**Equal's POV (3****rd**** Person)**

Equal rushed into the hotel room to see Aizawa and Matsuda on the couch. Aizawa had a worried expression on his face while Matsuda looked terrified.

"Where's Ryuzaki?" she asked. Neither answered as Aizawa glanced at Yugi's closed door.

Equal slowly approached the door and softly knocked. "Ryuzaki, It's me."

The door slowly opened and Equal stepped inside. L was standing by the door until he returned to his place next to Yugi's bed where said girl was sleeping somewhat calmly. Somewhat because her breating was still erratic and sweat still covered her face.

Equal sat on the side of the bed and felt Yugi's forehead and check the other symptoms. When she herself confirmed the girl's condition, she produced a syringe filled with a clear substance and proceeded to inject it into the girl's veins.

"You're lucky I took medical training at Wammy's as well as married a scientist, Ryuzaki," Equal noted. L nodded, understanding what she was implying.

"What is that?" He asked, talking about the substance being injected out of the syringe. Roger had explained when Yugi first showed up at Wammys that she had to take a yearly injection to prevent her heat cycles. Howver he never explained what it was or how it worked.

Equal sighed. "It's a type of sterilizer. If used on any normal human being, it would be potentially deadly, but…then again it was specifically designed for her. Although it isn't permanent, it keeps her body temperature at bay until her heat cycle is over, allowing her to focus as if it never happened, while also keeping her safe from…" she trailed off as Yugi's breathing slowed down.

"Ryuzaki…" she asked in a warning tone as she removed the syringe from Yugi's arm. "How did you manage to calm her down?"

Ryuzaki didn't answer as he looked at the floor like a guilty puppy. Dread bubbled up in Equal's stomach as she made her assumption. "L, answer me this instant," she commanded, the dread becoming anger. "What have you done?!"

L still didn't answer and Equal became desperate to know what happened. "WHAT THE FUCK DID YOU DO TO MY DAUGHTER?!"

L opened his mouth to reply but was interrupted when Yugi began to stir. Equal took her glaring eyes off of L and glanced at the teal haired girl.

"L?" Yugi asked groggily. "Did it work?" She went to sit up but when she did, she noticed Equal in the room and quickly covered herself. Her face red, she asked, "What's going on?"

Equal looked between the two before looking back at L, allowing him to explain the situation.

"What's going on is the fact that we've been caught by your mother."

Yugi looked up slowly. "My...mother?"

**Yugi's Pov (1****st**** person)**

I slowly looked up and read the name above Equal's head, having told L about my new ability during our -ahem- little event. I gasped when I recognized the name.

ESTHER DARVICH AKITERU

I was lucky to avoid the numbers as I looked down again. "All this time...and you never bothered to tell me?"

Forgetting her rage for a moment, Equal, or should I say Mom, asked back, "Would you have ever believed me?" She had a point there.

"Listen, Equal," L spoke up. "I only did what I did so Yugi could calm down until you got here; in fact I wouldn't have due to the less than ten percent chance that it would have worked hadn't she insisted it would."

Mom looked at me, awaiting for my explanation. "And how exactly did you know it _would_ work?"

"Because Ryuzaki wasn't my first." I glared at the woman as she put a hand to her mouth in shock. "Don't look at me like that. It was before I went to Wammy's and had to get yearly injections." I brought my knees up to my chest and my tail brushed against my ankles under the sheets.

"I was twelve. It was my first heat cycle. BB was beginning his plot to surpass L, which I didn't know of at the time. I was scared, and he tried everything to help me get better...Everything except one; and I let him do it." I began to tear up as I remembered that cold winter night. "If I hadn't, I would have died.

"It's the same with Ryuzaki. He was the one I trusted to do this to me. We would have used protection but...there was no time. Besides, as Ryuzaki would say, there's only a point-five percent possibility he made me pregnant."

There was silence in the room before Mom stood up and spoke. "There's less than that now...with the sterilizer in your system." She then turned around and walked away, opening the door and closing it behind her. Now it was just me and L. The silence was unerving and I was glad when he broke it.

"Do you believe you're capable of working again?" he asked. I simply nodded.

"Alright," L said before standing up himself. "I'm assigning you to help me and Mr. Yagami watch over his house during surveilliance as soon as Watari installs the cameras."

"Can't I help?" I asked.

"No."

"Damn." I looked down defeated.

"Get some rest, Yugi," L ordered making his way to the door. "It might be a while before you'll sleep again."

I nodded in understanding and lied down as L turned off the light and left the room.

~*TimeSkip*~

I carefully observed the empty Yagami house. L wouldn't let me go with Watari to install the cameras. Instead he had me check in with Near and Mello.

I typed in the password for my laptop and called into Wammy's. Almost immediately, Mello's face appeared on the screen.

"Where the hell have you been?!" He demanded loudly, making me rub my ears in pain.

"You really need to stop yelling, Mell. I'm gonna go deaf because of you," I muttered, closing my eyes tightly. "Besides, I didn't call in to talk about my whereabouts. Right now, Ryuzaki and I are in the middle of a new lead." When I opened my eyes again, I nearly gasped when I saw the red letters above his head.

_Mihael Keehl..._

"What are you doing now?" Near asked, making his appearance and bringing me back to reality. I couldn't help but read his real name as well.

_Nate River..._

"Yugi, are you alright?" Near asked. I quickly nodded. I then noticed Mello's concerned face.

"Why are your eyes red?" he asked. "Have you been crying?"

I shook my head at that. "No, I haven't."

"Then what's with the-"

"Listen, right now we are observing the households of those Raye Penber were following. Seeing as his death was rather suspicious, along with the fact that his fiance disappeared the day after, Ryuzaki sees that as something to go by," I explained, getting back on topic.

"What about your side mission?" Near asked. "Did you find any leads to Akiteru?"

"Actually I did," I stated. "Apparently my mother had been helping with the Kira case this entire time."

"You don't sound too thrilled about it."

"Hey," I stated, "If you had found out about her like I did, Mell, you'd understand."

"Stop calling me that," Mello growled.

"But It's such a cute nickname. It's Matt's fault for coming up with it."

Suddenly, Matt appeared from the doorway. "Did somebody say my name?" he asked. He lifted his goggles from his eyes. "More specifically a cute daffodil I haven't heard from in a while?"

"Last I checked, daffodils couldn't talk," I said, once again glancing above yet another head.

_Mail Jeevas..._

"Woah, dude, have you been crying or something? Because your eyes look a little red," Matt stated pointing to his own blue orbs to indicate what he meant.

"No, I haven't," I said for the second time.

"Then what's with the-"

"This isn't about me, alright?" I said annoyed. "This is about catching Kira and ending this once and for all."

"Hey, Yugi, who are you talking to?" I glanced behind me when I heard Matuda's voice from the other room.

"Nobody," I said back before turning back to the computer screen. "I gotta go. I'll contact you later."

"When you do, could you tell us what's with the red eyes?" Matt asked.

I sighed heavily as I heard footsteps approaching. "Fine. See ya later." I then turned off the computer and closed it. I rested my elbows on the laptop and rubbed my temples.

"Hey, are you alright?" Matsuda asked.

"I'm fine!" I exclaimed. "How can you people not see that I am perfectly...calm?" I looked over to see Matsuda's startled look before taking a deep breath. "I'm sorry," I then said softly. "The case is starting to get to me."

"That's alright," Matsuda said with a small smile. "It's been getting to everyone."

I smiled in return before Matsuda went back to the other room to continue the surveilliance on the Kitamuras.

So now here I am, sitting in between Yagami and L watching the cameras as the oldest child of the Yagami family. Looking above his head (which has become a bit of a habit now), I saw his name.

_Moon Yagami?_

I gasped slightly when something peculiar caught my attention. _No numbers! _Something was definitely suspicious about this person, so I paid close attention to him as he observed his door rather critically.

"I don't believe it," Yagami stated in misbelief. "I never knew he went to such great lengths. What could he be hiding in there that he doesn't want anyone else to see?"

"He's a teenager, Mr. Yagami," I stated, "there's nothing abnormal about being secretive at his age."

"Yugi is right," L added. "In fact, when I was his age, I did strange things too." He then looked over at Yagami. "Have you ever talked to your son about the investigation?"

"Of course not," he denied. "I've never once revealed classified information to my family. Besides, I don't get to see them too often these days and usually as soon as I get home, all I can do is sleep."

"I understand."

As Yagami's son left the house once more, I turned my computer back on and searched his name.

"Ohhh, It's pronounced _Light _Yagami," I muttered to myself, low enough so that the detective next to me didn't hear. "Not like that's any better."

It turns out he was smart enough to run L out of business if he tried hard enough. If he was Kira, he'd have to try harder, though.

I closed my computer as Light returned home once again and went back up to his room. He sat on his bed and pulled out a peculiar magazine from the bag he was carying.

My eyes widened when he opened it to reveal girls in outfits that if called skimpy would be an understatement. I huffed though after the initial shock. Especially since I've seen worse.

"I can't believe my son's looking at those magazines," Yagami nearly exclaimed.

"It's normal for a 17-year-old," I stated yet again, "although he looks more like someone who'd be more into Hustler if you know what I mean."

"And how would you know about that type of thing?" Yagami asked gruffly.

I shrugged. "I swipe one from Mello on occasion."

L suddenly had some other form of sweet in his mouth as he commented, "I didn't know you were a lesbian."

I blushed when I realized what I had pretty much admitted. "I'm not."

"Then perhaps-"

"Don't you dare say it," I threatened, ignoring L's annoyed look when I interrupted him.

"Hey, Light, come on!" Sayu, Yagami's youngest child, called from the bottom of the staircase. "Dinner's ready!"

I looked to a different screen showing said child sitting infront of a tv fangirling over one of the actors. "Hideki Ryuga! I swear he's perfect!" _That's what they all say._

I focused on the Yagamis' expressions as L had Watari play the message he had planned to broadcast to try to lure out Kira again. I honestly thought it was kind of stupid, but I was stupid enough to tune out when L was discussing this stupid idea with the task force to suggest anything better. _God this is stupid!_

And whaddya know? Light actually poined that out. He may be a suspect, but at least I'm not alone in thinking that.

"Hmm," L said between the bites of another sweet, "your son's clever, isn't he?"

"I'll say," I muttered. "He's not that bad looking either, I bet he has a girlfriend, am I right?"

Yagami was startled by my question. Guess it never crossed his mind.

I turned back to the screen again as Light stood up from the dinner table and grabbed a bag of chips from the cupboard. "Thanks for dinner, Mom."

Sayu, being his sister, piped up, "You're eating a bag of chips? You just had dinner. Your good looks are gonna go down the drain if you keep that up."

"It's a late night snack for studying," he argued before going back to his room. He closed his door and locked it. Then he sat at his desk and began studying.

"After dinner your son just goes back to studying without turning on the TV or his computer," L observed.

"It's because the entrance exams are 5 days away," Yagami explained. L hummed in thought. From being around him since the beginning of the investigation, I had discovered that he only hummed like that when an idea was brewing.

"Ryuzaki," Watari called.

"Yes, what is it, Watari?" L asked.

"A few minutes ago, a bank clerk being questioned on suspicion of embezzlement and a purse snatcher being held in a detention center, were broadcast on the news. They both just died of sudden inexplicable heart attacks."

"It's him again!" Yagami nearly exclaimed.

"Your family was either watching tv or studying. When the program being watched was over, the tv was shut off. Your son has been studdying since 7:30 without either the tv or the computer on," I muttered, thinking. "Since Kira needs a name and a face to kill, anyone who wasn't watching the news couldn't be Kira, right?" _But there's still the numbers_. I may dislike numbers to the point that I had a phobia of them, but the fact that his are missing worries me. His death isn't labeled like the others. What could it mean? I growled as I rubbed my temples to attempt to supress the on-coming headache.

"That means my family's cleared," Yagami decided hopefully.

"Not quite," L said, knocking down Yagami's minute happiness. "It doesn't make sense that Kira would kill two petty criminals right after their identities were broadcast."

Yagami was confused, so L elaborated. " I know it's only the first day after the cameras were installed, but the Yagami household seems almost too innocent to me."

~*TimeSkip*~

"Why do I have to wear this again?" I asked as Watari pulled the limo up to the entrance of To-Oh University. It was the day of the entrance exams and since L found nothing on surveilliance, he thought it would be a great idea to follow him to school. I don't know about anyone else, but to me that screams Pedophile.

"Because you're taking the entrance exam as well, and it would help you blend in to look a little older," L explained.

"I look like a lolita!" I exclaimed, uncomfortably pulling at my skirt. "That's the exact opposite of looking older! Not to mention it'll be harder now for me to hide my tail!"

"Then don't hide it."

I huffed and just stompted out of the car and into the building.

I was wearing what looked like a basic school uniform, but the skirt was a bit shorter, so it easily exposed my tail, the sleeves were cut off showing my shoulders, and the torso was partialy cut so it exposed my midsection. I felt like a skanky freak of nature walking around with my ears exposed.

In the room we were taking the test in, L was placed a few rows behind me near the aisle. I waited paitiently for the rest of the students to file in. Out of boredom, I started writitng on my arm.

_Maybe I should just get a tattoo_, I though as I sensed a presence beside me. I glanced up out of instinct and tensed. _Oh shit..._

My red-rimmed golden eyes locked with russet brown ones. Light Yagami was sitting right next to me.

"Hi," he said in a friendly way.

I was silent for a second longer before looking away, giving the appearance of a shy person when in reality I was terrified beyond my limits. "Hi," I finally muttered.

The tests were finally handed out and we were able to begin. _Alright, Yugi, don't let Near's help go to waste_. I got ready to begin, but hesitated. The line at the top meant for my name sat there, waiting to be filled. L didn't give me an alias to use; and it didn't even cross my mind to think of one until now.

An ideal name came to me suddenly when a strand of my teal colored hair fell into my face. Having no other idea, I put the name on my paper and officially began the test, carefully started filling in answers, skipping over a few to go back to later. I was doing really well in my opinion...until I got to the math section of the test.

"Aren't you a bit young to be taking an entrance exam?" Light whispered as he filled in each answer.

"I'm older than I look," I stated simply, trying my best not to have a panic attack. _1, 4, 13, 13. 1, 4, 13, 13._

"How old are you, then?" Light asked.

"That's none of your-"

"Students No. 136 and No. 137, please be quiet while taking the test." I quickly shied away after being scolded by the examiner.

I was nearly finished with the test when Light whispered to me again, "My name's Light Yagami, what's yours?"

I hesitated yet again, this time less afraid and more prepared for what I was going to say. Keeping up the shy appearance, I asked back, "How do I know you won't kill me if I give it to you?"

I didn't look at him as he stared back. I finished the test and closed the booklet before going back to doodling on my arm. Even though I now had an alias to give, I wanted to seem sceptical. In a way, I wanted the thought of my connection to L cross his mind.

Nothing else crossed my mind as I waited for the test time to end; and my mind was still racing with all of the mathematical equations I just went through hell to stay calm around, so I just continued with calming myself down with the numbers BB had told me to use.

_1, 4, 13, 13._

**Light's Pov (3rd person)**

Light thought the girl next to him was strange. It wasn't surprising since she had huge wolf-like ears pointing out of the side of her head, or the pair of golden eyes that seemed to stare into his soul.

When he first locked eyes with the strange girl, he could of sworn that they flashed red for a brief moment. He tried to make conversation with the girl, and by the tone of her voice he couldn't help but wonder what secrets were behind those exotic orbs.

Near the end of the test, he had asked for her name.

She was quiet for a moment, like she was when he first said hi, before replying with another question.

"How do I know you won't kill me if I give it to you?"

Light was shocked for a moment. Did she already know who I was? It didn't ease his conscious with that stupid shinigami chuckling in his ear. The thought left as soon as it came and was replaced with a more logical explanation.

_No, it's not possible. Unless she was L, she wouldn't suspect a thing. She might just be cautious for all I know. Then again, could it be possible that she was working for L?_

"You there. Student No.162, sit properly in your chair."

Light stopped filling in one of the last answers to look behind him. The girl next to him did the same thing.

A few rows back he saw a man with messy black hair wearing a white shirt and baggy jeans. He was sitting in a somewhat perched position, like a raven waiting for it's food to die. Just like the girl next to him, his eyes, albeit dark in color defined by the circles around them, seemed to be staring into Light's very soul.

Light heard an almost inaudible sigh come from the girl next to him as he turned back around. He glanced at her to see her head laying on top of her arms as if she were sleeping.

_If she is working for L, I'll have to be more careful from now on...but I think it's safe to assume that she's pretty harmless, as long as I'm not on the recieving end of those fingernails_. That last thought made Light chuckle slightly as he finished his test.

_**((Author's Note)) There you have it, I hope it was somewhat better than last chapter. Also did you like me putting Light's point of view in there? Let me know.**_

_**EDIT: oh my god, you have no Idea how much my brain hurts after rewriting and editing the beginning of this chapter. I was literally fighting the fatigue just to finish this so it could be posted, but I was so tired that I decided to wait and post it today.**_

_**Chapter 19 probably won't take too long to edit, so as soon as it's done I might be able to update regularly again, so keep your eye out.**_

_**Until next time...**_

_**-Garden**_


	19. Chapter 19-EDITED 1-9-16

_**((Author's Note)) I'm back everybody! And with a new chapter no less!**_

_**So I was thinking that since we are close to the 20th chapter of the story that I would give you 20 facts about the development of the story and maybe a few about Yugi.**_

_**Also I've edtited the end of this chapter a bit for those who are re-reading this.**_

_**Nothing else to say until the end, so here's the next Chapter.**_

Chapter 19

I took a deep breath as L and I entered the auditorium with our fellow graduates. "Smell that, Ryuga?" I asked, using his newly required alias.

Taking my question seriously, L took a deep inhale through his nose. "What you speak of must be out of my sense of smell's range...all I smell is halitosis, flatulence, and other typical body odors masked under a heavy layer of cologne."

I shook my head and chuckled slightly while pulling at the front of the miniskirt L made me wear. "That my dear friend is the smell of success. I still don't get how I managed to make it to university when I haven't even gone to highschool." I stated before glaring at one of the upperclassmen who was staring at me as he passed, flattening my ears and giving a low snarl.

"Down, girl," L ordered with a small smirk. "You made it here because you were taught university level material at Wammy's." I growled again before turning to him with the same glare as the upperclassman fleed from my wrath.

"I also can't believe Mom's letting you get away with choosing my clothes. Why the hell do you keep making me wear this shit any way?" I nearly yelled.

"You'll fit your part much easier with that outfit."

"Or it will get me killed by a swarm of screaming fans who will want to rape me," I huffed, taking a random seat.

"You don't look like you wouldn't enjoy it," L stated.

"Shut up!" I nearly shouted, my face turning pink. "Besides, the alias I chose was the only one I could think of at the time. I just hope people don't mistake me for _her_. I'll get pissed the next time someone says my hair is green."

We had to quiet down then because the orientation was beginning. It was long and boring, and while the principal droned on, my eyes started to droop from the extreme boredom. To keep myself awake, I started to play with the cross on my collar, feeling all the small ridges and bumps that marked its surface. As I did, I remembered what BB said about Mello when he saw it.

"...Now for the freshman address," the principal announced. I perked up slightly as the representatives were announced. "Freshman Representative Light Yagami," he paused to let the crowd applaud, "And Freshman Representative Hideki Ryuga."

People continued to applaud while others began to question if he was the famous popstar.

"I think I like the little one on the right," I heard someone behind me say to her friend. I turned to see a black haired girl with glasses. I looked up at her name floating above her head. Kyoko Sakuragi.

I snickered at what she said. Little one... that's kind of cute. I kept that thought in the recesses of my memory banks for future use as I listened to our "class representatives" say their speeches.

**L's POV (3rd Person)**

When the speeches were finished, L followed Light to his seat. He then began to converse with his number one suspect.

"Light Yagami?" He practically whispered in his ear, "Your father is Chief Soichiro Yagami of the NPA. Your respect for your father is matched only by your strong sense of justice. You're planning to join the police agency when you graduate. And you've already got experience seeing as you've helped police solve a number of cases in the past. Now you're showing an interest in the Kira case."

By now he had followed Light all the way to his seat and took the one right next to him. "I'm impressed by your abilities and your sense of justice," he continued. "If you promise not to tell anyone about this, I have important information concerning the Kira investigation that I'd like to share with you."

Light looked at him calmly before closing his eyes. "I won't tell anyone. What is it?"

L turned to him with his large eyes and whispered, "I want to tell you, I am L."

**Light's POV (3rd Person)**

_What!? There's no way. What's he talking about? If he really was L, he'd never admit to it. I thought this guy was a bit strange, but...this is pretty extreme. _Light mentally began to panic. How did L manage to find him...and in such little time?

_...Stop. This isn't good. Don't act surprised, he scolded himself. On the off chance that he really is L, I have to act how Soichiro Yagami's son, Light Yagami would act in the situation. There'd be no reason for him to be afraid._

Light then took a deep breath and spoke. "If you are who you say you are, then you have nothing but my respect and admiration."

"Thank you," Ryuga said back. "The reason I chose to reveal my identity to you is because I think you could be some help to us on the Kira investigation."

After the orientation was finally over, Light walked out the front door planning to head home.

"I didn't think this ceremony would be so interesting," Ryuk commented. Light ignored him, however, when a familiar pair of eyes caught his attention.

It was the girl from the entrance exams. She was looking into the crowd of leaving people, obviously looking for someone in particular.

Light approached her and she took her eyes off of the crowd and onto him. Her expression turned from stoic to nervous as he came closer.

"Uh, hi," she said slowly. "You're Light Yagami, right?"

"Yeah," he said back.

She rubbed the toe of her shoe against the ground in a circular motion. "Nice speech you did in there," she said shyly. "Congrats, I guess."

"Thanks."

"Hey, Light." He turned around to see Ryuga slouched behind him. "Nice meeting you."

"No. The pleasure was mine," Light said back, trying not to act suspicious.

Ryuga glanced over at the girl before giving a small smirk. "Oh, I see you've already met my cousin, Hatsune."

"Hatsune?" Light looked over at the girl to see her fuming. Her face was red and her ears laid back agressively.

"Heideki Ryuga," She growled, "How many times do I have to ask you NOT TO TELL EVERYONE YOU MEET MY DAMN NAME?!"

"Well it's too late now, isn't it?" Ryuga asked calmly before turning back to Light. "Her full name is Hatsune Miku," He explained.

"Hideki!"

"You mean like the Vocaloid singer?" Light asked unbelieving. _Now that I think about it, she does look like her with that outfit. _He glanced at the newly dubbed Miku's outfit that made her look almost exactly like the mentioned popstar.

"Exactly, but with no relation."

"HIDEKI!"

"What is it Hatsune?" Ryuga asked calmly. "There's no need to shout when I'm three feet and nine inches away from you."

Miku huffed before flipping him off. She then turned around where a limousine was waiting and walked toward it.

"That was rude you know!" Ryuga called out to her.

"I don't give a fuck!" she called back, climbing into the car...through the window.

"Ryuga," Light wondered, "Does Miku know about you...?"

"Being L?" Ryuga asked, "No. She only believes that I work with L. Althought I do think she's begining to suspect the truth. She's very sharp, you know."

The horn to the limousine honked rather loudly. Light and Ryuga looked up to see Miku's pissed off face from the passenger side window.

"What's her problem with giving out her name?" Light had to ask. "Does she not like it or something?"

"It's not that," Ryuga stated, "Ever since her best friend died, she's been paranoid about everyone...convinced it was Kira who killed him."

The horn honked again.

"Aparently I've said too much already," Ryuga concluded, glancing at the car once more.

"I understand," Light stated. Ryuga then made his way toward the limousine.

"Well, I'm sure I'll see you on campus."

"Yeah. Take care."

**Yugi's POV (1st Person)**

L took his seat in the back and I jumped back to sit next to him as Watari left the parking lot.

"You did good, Yugi," He told me.

I smiled. "You weren't bad yourself. You did tell him your identity as planned, correct?"

"Yes, I did," L replied. It was silent for a while before he spoke again. "He seems to have taken a liking to you."

"Is that suppose to mean something?" I asked, raising an eyebrow.

"Not really," he replied, "Unless you have your eye on someone else." I could see the microscopic smirk of mischief that reminded me too much of BB.

"Where are you going with this?" I asked uneasy.

"Don't think I didn't see you looking at that girl behind you."

"That girl didn't interest me one bit," I denied. "Although, from what I've heard, she has the hots for you."

"Oh, really?" L bit his thumbnail in thought. "I find that unbelievable."

"And why's that?" I asked with a small smile. "You didn't think you were ugly this entire time, did you?"

L was quiet for a minute. "Not ugly," he stated with a tone of voice I've never heard from him before. "Just unattractive."

The smile on my face faltered. "Are you serious?"

L looked at me in a really unnatural way...for L's standards, I mean. His eyes showed the most emotion I've ever seen. And that emotion answered my question. "I see."

I looked away as an idea came to mind. A rather embarrasing idea at that. I felt awkward just thinking about it. After all, I didn't even try to get that close ever since that night. I took a deep breath. It was the only thing I could think of at the moment and L was freaking me out too much to think of anything else.

"L," I asked, "Can I try something...that might make you feel better?" He looked at me curiously. "It might help."

"If you think it'll make me feel better..." L trailed off, keeping his thumb at his lips. I took a deep breath.

"Do you still trust me, L?" I asked him, getting a little closer to him.

He looked at me before nodding. I turned my body so that I was directly facing him, my legs underneath me on the seat. I put his face in my hands, making him take his thumb out of his mouth.

I took a deep breath and brought my face close to his and looked deep into his dark orbs before closing mine and slowly placing my lips onto his.

I felt L tense slightly as our mouths molded together. Of course I was gentler than when I did this before; less desperate. I stayed there for a moment before pulling away. My face was once again red as I moved to the farthest place in the limo away from him and looked at the floor.

"Feel better?" I asked.

"Actually I do," L replied slowly. "Although It wasn't by much, I feel about 5% better than earlier."

I looked up at him to see the blank stare I was use to. "At least it helped."

He gave me the same smile he gave the task force when he first showed his face to them. "However, it would be wise not to show any affections of this sort publically...It could damage any progress with regaining your mother's trust. After all you still need to find your father."

I looked back down at my hands. "Actually I was thinking about post-poning my search until Kira was caught," I admitted. "Especially since it was him that killed Beyond." My eyes flashed red once more as I thought of my revenge.

There was more silence as L somehow managed to get a cupcake in his hand. "Also, Yugi," he said in between bites, "To save you from any embarassment, I would recommend we keep this small event to ourselves."

"Save me from any embarassment?" I asked. "Ryuzaki, I think it would ruin your reputation more than anything if this got out. Especially to my mother," I muttered the last part. "If it wasn't for her outbust that night, I'm sure you wouldn't be in the shithouse with everyone in the taskforce right now."

"I don't know what you're talking about," L denied, licking the frosting from his fingers. I shook my head.

"Whatever," I muttered. "As long as someone doesn't write it in a fanfiction and post it on the internet, I think we're safe."

L chuckled slightly, "You come up with the most unusual Ideas."

"I'm sure more people would say that about you."

"I wouldn't be to sure of that."

_**((Author's Note)) And there you have it. Another chapter finally finished.**_

_**About the little game I moved to the end of chapter 17...**_

_**I'd like to thank The Unknown Fangirl (Guest) and Mary Phantom for entering. They both had really good guesses, but they are not quite what I was going for.**_

_**The Unknown Fangirl- I honestly didn't think about that Idea, so I used the equation meant to convert Shinigami time into Human time. Kudos for trying, but that wasn't my intention for the numbers, and the equation wouldn't add up anyway.**_

_**Mary Phantom- Your guess was really close, but not exactly what I was going for. Kudos for your attempt, and thank you for participating.**_

_**If you both have another answer, You can go ahead and take another guess. **_

_**To enter, all you have to do is write me either a review or PM stating your guess. The winner gets a One-shot with them and a Death Note Character of their choice doing whatever they want.**_

_**I await your answers.**_

_**By the way don't hesitate to ask any questions you have about the development of the fanficition or anything you don't quite understand. I can even help you with your own fanfictions if you want.**_

_**And don't worry, chapter 20 will be posted soon.**_

_**Until Next Time my little Flowers...**_

_**-Garden of Time**_


	20. Chapter 20

_**((Author's Note)) After many months with a broken computer, a job that is more deadly than than the plague, spending five hundred dollars on a new computer just to rewrite every stinking chapter because I lacked the program I had used previously...I have finally gotten to chapter 20.**_

_**YAAAAAAAAAAAAYYY!**_

_**So without anymore wait, I'll give you the chapter now. Also the top twenty facts that I promised won't be showing up as planned. It took me so long to get this done that I felt that the update was more important than the facts, so instead I was thinking about doing something else. Maybe a completely unrelated AU chapter, a fluffy one-shot, a not-so-fluffy one-shot, what do you guys think?**_

Chapter 20-Doubt

We sat in awkward silence...just staring at each other. Just me and her, alone in the far corner of the cafe. My hair was pulled back into small Pigtails now that it was long enough to do so.

"Why did you pull me out of my classes?" I finally asked. "I had psychology with Light Yagami...you know."

"Why are you bringing up Light Yagami?" My mother asked.

"Why do you think?" I asked back. "He's L's top suspect. That's why he and I enrolled in the first place."

Mom sighed. "I needed to talk to you alone."

"If this is about what happened between me and L, I've already told you...He wasn't my first and I had asked him to do it, he didn't take advantage of me." My ears flattened in frustration.

"This has nothing to do with that," the woman took a small breath to calm herself. "This is about your father."

I tilted my head in confusion. "What about him?"

"Have you forgotten?" She asked. "When we first met at the bakery you said you were looking for him, were you not?"

"Of course I haven't forgotten," I snapped. "What are you saying, that you found him or something?"

"I'm saying that you should stop looking for him."

We were silent for a moment as I processed what she just said. "...What?"

"Listen, Aruki-"

"Only Beyond could call me that."

"Yugi," she corrected. "There's no point in trying to find him. For all you know, he could be dead," Mom tried to dissuade me.

"And for all you know, he could be alive," I shot back. "If you know something about him just tell me so I can find out how to fix this problem I have with my random shifting."

"It will stablize as you get older."

I paused. "And my heat cycles?"

"They become more bearable as long as you don't get an addiction to the sterilizer."

"Addiction?"

"Like most drugs, if used improperly, it can be harmful to you."

I was going to ask how she knew all these things when my cellphone rang. I pulled it out and looked at the caller ID before answering. "What is it, Ryuzaki?"

"I noticed that you were not with Light when your phsychology class was over. Care to explain?"

"Not really," I stated bluntly.

"Fair enough," L said. "I only called to inform you that Light and I are on our way to the tennis courts for a little competition and felt that you would enjoy witnessing the event."

"If it will get me out of my current predicament, then I'm all for it. See you soon." I hung up. I looked at Mom. "I gotta go before he gets annoyed with me as well." I stood up and walked past her toward the door.

"Don't think we're done talking about this, Yugi."

"We are for now, Just leave it at that."

~*TimeSkip*~

"I have to admit I was surprised, Ryuga," Light commented as he tied his shoe. "I never thought you'd ask me to play tennis as a way to get to know each other."

"Is it a problem for you?" L asked monotoiously. I was leaning against a nearby post in boredom. _Man, I wish I had brought my cards._

Light shook his head at L's question standing up. "Not at all, but when you first invited me to play, did you know how good I was?"

"Yes. I'll be fine, though," L replied. "It's been a while but at one time I was actually the British Junior Champion."

Light gave L a slightly amused look before turning to me. "What about you, Miku?"

I looked up at him. "I never really played Tennis," I answered, "but I was a crack shot at badminton back in LA. I bet I would've been offered a spot in the olympics had I been old enough."

"Well, tennis isn't too different from badminton," Light stated. "Maybe I can teach you the basics one day."

"Why not right now?" I asked, walking up to him and giving him a cute look. "I'm Going to be watching so I'll catch on really quickly. Maybe after your match with Heideki we can have a match."

Light had stepped back from my sudden closeness and went speechless.

"Whaddya say, Raito-kun?" I offered.

I noticed a faint blush across Light's cheeks at the way I said his name. "I don't see a problem with that."

I smiled as Light and L entered the tennis court for their game. L served first; and scored first. "Fifteen Love." He called out boredly.

Soon the game became more heated and other students began to gather around me, making me a little self-conscious about tight spaces. Movement in the corner of my eye made me look to see that one girl...Kyoko Sakuagi standing next to me and staring at the two geniuses.

Eventually a self-proclaimed judge began to keep score.

I was ignoring most of the conversations as usual until another student came running down the steps.

"You won't believe this!" he exclaimed. "I thought I'd heard the name Light Yagami somewhere before, so I checked. He was the 02, 03 Junior High tennis champion." I thought that was neat. "Apparently during the third-year award ceremony he announced that he was hanging up his racket, and I guess he hasn't played competitively since."

"Hey, Hey!" Kyoko yelled right next to me, causing me to wince from the sudden increase of decibles. "What about my Ryuga?! Don't tell me you haven't noticed him holding his own against the former junior high champ!" I didn't hear that last sentence as the one before it rang in my (possibly bleeding) ears.

I don't know what came over me. A form of possession? Most likely. We did _it_ after all; and a simmilar thing happened back in L.A. during the BB case between Misora and Beyond.

"_Your_ Ryuga?!" I snapped. "I don't see your name on him."

"And how do you know it isn't hidden?" Kyoko sneered. _At least she had guts, I'll give her that._

I smirked deviously, "I've seen more of Heideki than you ever will, Sakuragi." Her eyes widened.

"B-but you're cousins. That's Illegal!" she exclaimed.

"Not here in Japan. I looked it up," I shot back. "If it eases your concience, we're very distant on the genetic level."

"That doesn't change a thing about that," Kyoko growled.

"Whether it does or not, Sakuragi," I tilted my head as I noticed her hands balling into fists, "Heideki Ryuga is mine." Kyoko grit her teeth as I moved closer and carressed her face. I moved closer until I could just whisper in her ear. "And I'm not sharing."

"Game and Set, Won by Light Yagami. Six games to four." I turned to see Light and L leaving the tennis court, both covered in sweat, before I turned back to Kyoko.

"Se ya 'round, Babycakes," I said. "And stay away from _my_ Ryuga. Or there will be consequences." I let my eyes flash completely red before running over and giving both Light and L hugs.

"Congrats on winning, Light!" I said to him. I quickly handed him a water bottle and ran next to L and gripped his arm possessively, glancing over at Kyoko, who was fuming now.

"What are you doing, Hatsune?" L asked.

"Oh, nothing, Heideki," I replied, "Just pissing off a rival, that's all."

L and Light both glanced over at Kyoko before looking back at me curiously. before they could ask, however I spoke up again. "So anyway, something came up during your match that I need to attend to, so I'm gonna need a raincheck on that match, is that alright?"

Light smiled. "That's fine. How about Monday after classes?"

"Can't," I said. "First day of Fight Club is the most important, and I'm not missing it for the world. What about this Saturday? I have nothing better to do then."

"Uh, sure," Light agreed, "Maybe we can have lunch together afterward."

"Sounds like fun," I winked. "See ya then, Raito-kun!"

Light blushed once more and I turned to leave. "Yeah, see ya, Miku," he said softly.

"Call me Yugi," I told him. "All my friends do."

"Ok...Yugi," Light smiled once more and waved. I waved back before skipping down the sidewalk toward our current headquarters, which wasn't far from the University.

**Light's POV (3rd Person)**

I watched Mik-er, Yugi as she skipped away, her piggtails bouncing behind her. Ryuk chuckled beside me.

"She really is something, isn't she, Light? Hehehe." He closed his eyes and supressed the frustration he held for the shinigami as he and L began to make their way to the cafe.

_As innocent as she may seem, I can't let my guard down around her. For all I know she could truly be L and Ryuga is just another plant she's using to get to me._ He thought. _However, if she isn't really L and Ryuga was telling me the truth about him being L, then what is her purpose in this investigation? Ryuga mentioned her sharp mind when when we first met, but I fail to see any of that skill._

Light shook his head. _I'm over thinking this way to much. It doesn't matter if neither of them, one of them, or even both of them is L. The fact of the matter is that I have to be aware of what I say whenever she uses that animalistic charm of hers. Sure L only suspects me by a mere 1%, but it's unknown if she even thinks I might be Kira._

"Light, are you coming?"

Light looked up to see Ryuga a little ways ahead of him.

"Uh, yeah." He walked up closer to him. "The Coffee shop is this way."

_More than likely she's just paranoid because of her friend's death. And if I did actually kill him, he deserved it one way or another, which means if she finds me out it makes her a liability I would have to dispose of, and that would be difficult considering she practically admitted using an alias by giving me her nickname...but then again she could have been using the alias to protect herself from meeting the same fate as her friend...so it just loops back to her being paranoid._

"Light, are you okay?" Ryuga asked. "This is the second time you've stopped in less than a half-hour. Is there something on your mind?"

Light shook his head. "It's nothing, really."

"If you say so," Ryuga shrugged.

**Yugi's POV (1st Person)**

I fired up my computer and called into Wammy's. Once three familiar faces appeared, I began to spill updates.

After a small discussion on what to do next, Matt brought up my eyes.

"So what's with the red eyes, anyway?" He asked. "You said you'd tell us. Are you wearing contacts or something?"

I shook my head. "No. It just happened one day. I woke up one morning and could see everyone's names, glancing in a mirror I saw that my eyes had changed."

"Woah, you can see people's names now?" Matt exclaimed. "That's so cool!"

"Is it possibly from your Wolf-Puberty or something?" Mello asked dully.

"I don't think so," I replied.

"I could look into it for ya if you want," Matt offered.

"Thanks," I told him.

"So how've you been, Yugi?" Near asked. "Find any more leads to Akiteru yet?"

"No," I sighed. "But frankly, I think he can wait until the Kira investigation is over. I need to keep my mind focused for once, and I can't do that while criminals continue to die."

My phone vibrated and I picked it up. It was Watari.

"Hello?"

"Yugi, I've already contacted Ryuzaki..."

"What is it?" I asked.

"Mr. Yagami just had a heart attack."

I took a deep breath and tried to stay calm as Watari explained, "He and the rest of the task force were on their way to headquarters when he collapsed. An ambulance has already rushed him to the hospital."

"I understand. I'll be there as soon as possible." I hung up and turned back to the computer screen. "I need to go, see you guys later."

Near nodded as Matt said, "Alright. I'll get to figuring out about that eye thing for ya, see ya later."

"Yugi," I looked toward Mello.

"Yeah, Mello?"

He hesitated for a moment. "Be careful."

I smirked. "No promises, Mell." With that I signed off and headed out the door toward the hospital.

_**Author's Note: I'M FINALLY DONE WITH THIS CHAPTER I'M SO RELIEVED!**_

_**I still want to know what you think I should do for my Chapter 20 special thing which I really want to do. Tell me what you think in the reviews, I'd love to hear from all of you.**_

_**Until next time...**_

_**-Garden of Time**_


	21. Chapter 21

_**((Author's Note)) Hoi everybody...It's me with a new chapter! yay! Man...It's been more than a year since I started this and I'm not even half done. I feel very ashamed because I had hoped to be on to my next fanfiction by now...oh well, maybe next year!**_

_**Anyway, here it is... the next chapter!**_

Chapter 21

I ran into the hospital nearly out of breath. It didn't help that it was pretty far from our current headquarters. _Man, I don't think I've ever ran that much in my life!_ I tried to calm myself down from my mini marathon when I recognized Mrs. Yagami from the surveilance tapes.

I ran up to her. "Mrs. Yagami," I said.

"Huh?" she looked at me. "Oh, hello."

"I'm Hatsune Miku...I go to To-Oh with your son, Light."

Her eyes lightened up in recognition. "Oh, yes, I remember Light telling us about you...But I didn't think you'd be so young."

"I'm older than I look ma'am," I told her respectfully. "Also, I'm here because I heard what happened to Mr. Yagami...Is he okay?"

Mrs. Yagami's eyes dimmed a bit. "Yes, he's alright. Light is with him now, along with another classmate of his."

"Heideki Ryuga," I clarified. "He's my cousin actually."

"Oh, that's nice. They're in there if you want to see them." Mrs. Yagami pointed to the door behind her. I thanked her and walked inside.

I was silent as I entered. None of the three others in the room noticed me when Mr. Yagami spoke.

"That's correct. This man is L."

I then remembered the conversation I had with L this morning before we went to school...

~*Flashback*~

_"Yugi there is something of great importance that I must ask of you," L said._

_"What is it?" I asked._

_"I want you to get close to Light Yagami. As much as you can in any way possible."_

_"What? But L-"_

_"I feel that it would be highly beneficial to the case."_

_"L I can't-"_

_"You can make him believe you are friends, I am certain of it."_

_"The way you said it makes me think you want me to go further than friends..."_

_"I'm not saying that...but if it must be done then do it."_

~*EndFlashback*~

Keeping that conversation in mind, I quietly left and sat in the waiting room.

**Light's Pov (3rd person)**

When Light and L got booted out by the nurse, Light noticed Yugi sitting in the waiting room with a styrofoam cup in her hand.

"Yugi?"

She looked up at the two with an angry look on her face and let out a low growl. Light was too shocked to see such a dark look to see the cup move from her hand into L's face, drenching him with...coffee?

"You son of a bitch!" she yelled, her irises completely red. "You promised you'd tell me everything and you go and keep _that _from me?! I trusted you!" Her eyes welled up with tears as she ranted.

"Hatsune, please-"

"Don't 'Hatsune please' me Heideki!" She pointed a finger at L. "I heard what Mr. Yagami revealed to Light!" A look of Betrayal crossed her face as the tears began to fall. "When I agreed to go to England with you, you said, and I quote, 'as long as you tell me everything I'll do the same; No secrets'! And here you are and you tell your biggest one, not to me, but someone you barely even know!"

"Hatsune, just let me explain..." L pleaded, although his voice was monotone and his face blank the whole time. "I kept that secret to protect you..."

"How the hell would that protect me?! What good would it do to me if you dropped dead one day and I wouldn't know why?!" Yugi's eyes were like a fountain as she began to lose steam from her anger. "I can't lose you like I did Rue! I wouldn't be able to live with myself!" She then turned and ran off crying out the door.

"I knew this would happen..." L muttered to himself, coffee dripping from his hair and onto his shoulders, staining his white shirt into a dull brown.

"Why didn't you ever tell her?" Light asked. He felt sorry for Yugi, and a little scared.

"What would be the point?" L asked back. "Whether I told her myself, or not, she would have been mad at me either way."

He then proceeded to walk outside where Watari was waiting for him with his limousine.

"Ryuga," Light said as L climbed into the vehicle. "I know I agreed to help with the investigation, but I don't think I'll be able to do much until my father is healthy again.

"I understand," was his reply. He then closed the door. "And Light, if you run into Yugi, tell her I'm sorry for me." He then rolled up the window and the limo drove away.

_Heideki Ryuga,_ Light thought, _Ryuzaki...He is the L I've been fighting this whole time...What is his real name..._ His phone suddenly vibrated and he saw an unknown number. He answered.

"Hello?"

"Light? It's Yugi."

"oh, Hey," Light greeted. "How did you get my number?"

"I hacked into your phone when you and Heideki were playing tennis. I gave it to him too, just to let you know."

"Are you still mad at him?"

"Well, Duh," Yugi stated bluntly. "Look, I'm sorry for exploding like I did back there, but... ya know...I was mad."

"Don't apologize. I would have done the same."

"Liar."

Light began to walk when he asked, "Where are you anyway?"

"At the park near the hospital. I didn't feel like running all the way to the hotel."

"Alright, stay there. It's getting late, and this part of town can be dangerous at the best of times."

"Oh, I'm so scared," Yugi said sarcastically. "You do know I can kick your ass for that right?"

"I do now. After the coffee thing I'm sure you could scold my ear off," Light chuckled. By now he had made it to the park and he saw Yugi on the swing set. She saw him and hung up her phone.

Light walked up and sat in the swing next to her. "Hey," he said to her.

"Hi," she said back.

"Ryuga said he was sorry," Light told her. "I guess he didn't know how to explain it to you without making you worry."

"I'll always worry for him," Yugi replied, trying to hold back tears. "He's been the only family I have since my parents disappeard, and even more so since Rue died."

Light went silent for a moment until he asked, "Who is Rue?"

Yugi looked down. "He's the reason I hate Kira." Light tensed at that statement. "Sure he had killed people...maybe even enjoyed it...but he wasn't a criminal. He was just sick and confused."

"What do you mean?" Light asked.

Yugi was silent for a moment before she said, "The day before he attempted to commit suicide, I found his medical file from when he was my age back then. We were only five years apart, so in a way it wasn't very long..." she took a deep breath. "He never knew I found it...and I've never told anyone, apart from Ryuga when he took me in...but he was diagnosed with Schizophrenia." She then chuckled.

Light was confused when she looked at him. "Do you think Kira would have killed him if he were in an asylum?" she asked. "Maybe then...we would have been together sooner...and maybe Kira wouldn't have killed him."

"You loved him...didn't you?" Light asked.

"Of course I did," Yugi stated. "He was my only friend." She then looked at the clock on her phone. "I gotta get back."

"Need a place to stay?" he asked.

"You sure your mom won't mind?"

Light chuckled. "It's not my mom I'm worried about..."

"Have a girlfriend?" Yugi guessed.

"No," Light shook his head. "I do have a sister though, she'd go nuts."

Yugi chuckled slightly. "I guess you're right... How old is she?"

"Fourteen," Light replied.

Yugi finally let out a small smile. "I think I can handle that."

Light then stood up and held out his hand. "Shall we?" He asked.

Yugi took his hand and stood from her swing, "We shall."

**Yugi's POV (1st person)**

Light led me down the street all the way to his house. Before calling him at the park I had notified L of where I was and told him I'd be back at the hotel as soon as possible.

His house was nice, of course I've already seen the interior. He led me inside and I promptly took off my shoes.

"Mom, Sayu, I'm home," He called out, "And I've brought company."

Mrs. Yagami turned toward the door from her place near the stove. "Oh, hello again Miku,' she said.

"Please Mrs. Yagami, call me Yugi," I told her.

"Oh, alright then..."

Light looked at me quizzically. I looked back at him.

"We met earlier at the hospital," I explained. Suddenly I heard fast paced footsteps coming from upstairs. I looked up at the ceiling. "Incoming..."

Zooming down the stairs was a girl about an inch shorter than me with straight brown hair and matching brown eyes. "Hi, I'm Sayu," the girl said stopping right in front of me. "Are you Light's girlfriend?"

My ears flattened in nervousness. I didn't expect her to be that outgoing. "Uh..."

Sayu then noticed my ears. "Woah! Are those real? Can I touch them?"

"Sayu," Mrs. Yagami scolded.

Sayu blushed before looking away. "Sorry..."

"It's okay," I told her. "My name's Yugi, and no, I'm not Light's girlfriend. We just go to the same school."

"Oh," Sayu said. "Well, just to let you know, he's totally available."

I smiled. "I'll keep that in mind."

"Come on, Yugi, we can hang out in my room," Light said, trying to push his sister away.

"Why?" I asked. "You're not thinking dirty thoughts are ya?" Light's face turned a deep red and I laughed. "Just kidding Raito-kun." I punched him in the shoulder lightly. "Lead the way."

His face still red, Light led me upstairs and to his room. I peeked inside when he opened the door. The room was just like I remember from the surveillance tapes; clean and tidy with everything perfectly organized.

"Wow," I said, appearing amazed. "It's very nice and cozy in here..."

"Uh, thanks."

I sat down on his bed and glanced over at his bookshelf. It was full of detective stories and law books and other stuff like that. "You have a lot of books, You're studying to be a police officer, right?" I asked.

Light nodded. "Yeah, speaking of which..." he sat next to me and I looked at him, "What are you in To-Oh for? It's obviously not for the samething as Ryuga."

I smiled. "You're right. I'm actually taking classes in performing arts...I decided to come to To-Oh because my dad went there, actually; although Heideki wanted me to go to Cambridge back in England."

Light raised an eyebrow. "Your dad?" I nodded.

"He studied Genetic Science, and had his own lab...but it burned down and he disappeared."

"Oh," Light said, "I'm sorry to hear that."

I shrugged. "It's alright, I guess." I then looked toward the bottom of the shelf where I knew he hid his hentai magazines. "So..." I said, about to casually ask if he had any, but before I could a strange smell hit my nose. I sniffed the are a bit. "What's that smell?"

"Huh?" Light sniffed the air. "Probably Mom cooking dinner..."

"But it doesn't smell like food," I said as I took another whiff of the air. "Smells like lighter fluid." I noticed Light tense a bit as I continued to smell the air moving closer to him.

I began to sniff Light, thinking it was coming off of him. I started at his chest and moved my way up to the nape of his neck. "Definitely not you," I stated by his ear. "Although you do smell nice."

"Well, a guy like me has to keep up his image," Light jokingly stated, feigning arrogance.

I continued to sniff, although I didn't move anymore, and eyed his desk suspiciously. "Hmm..."

~*TimeSkip*~

That night, I was offered a guest room and a set of pajamas.

I tossed and turned in my sleep. My breath became short and heavy as the dream played vividly behind my closed eyes.

_Fire..._

_Screaming..._

_Scratching at that metal door..._

My eyes snapped open and I sat up panting. Once I caught my breath, I put my hands up to my furry face, having partially morphed from the stress. That dream...It was the same one that brought me here...why?

Why did it come back? The moment I decide to stop...it comes back...why?

There was a knock on the door. "Yugi?" Light's voice came softly from the other side. "Yugi, are you alright?"

I took a moment to calm down and Humanize myself before going to the door and answering it. "Light," I muttered, "What is it?"

"I could hear you from my room," Light nodded to his door across from mine. "It sounded like you were having a bad dream."

"I'm sorry, did I wake you?"

"No," Light said quickly. "I, uh," He scratched the back of his head. "I wasn't asleep."

"Oh."

"Well, if you okay, then...goodnight." Light turned to go back to his room.

_If it must be done, then do it._

"Light?" I quietly called out. He turned back to look at me.

"What is it?" he asked.

I bit my lip and lowered my ears slightly to appear emarassed. "Can you stay with me?"

Light hesitated. Then he nodded. "Yeah, sure." I held out my hand and he took it, closing the door behind him as I led him to the bed. He got in with me and held me close and I laid my head on his chest. Eventually I fell back asleep.

_**Author's Note: Sorry, I know it isn't really much. Especially after my major leave of absence, but in my defence, work, school and personal problems have been on me like the plague (not quite sure if I spelled that right). Unlike most people my age, I don't have time to sit around and waste all day, as much as I want to. So Apologies for lateness and lack of material. This was more of a filler chapter anyway, so just hope I can make the next one better.**_

_**Until next time...**_

_**-Garden of Time**_


	22. Chapter 22

_**Author's Note: I'm back once again my lovely flowers, and hopefully with a great chapter to this awesome fanfiction.**_

_**So allow me to introduce...**_

Chapter 22

That morning, I sat with Sayu on the floor of the Yagami house watching a new movie starring Heideki Ryuga.

"Oh man, isn't he hot or what?!" Sayu gushed. I simply shrugged.

"Meh, he's not really my type...I'm more of a Felix Titling kind of girl," I stated.

"Who's Felix Tilting?"

Before I could explain that it was a joke, my cellphone rang. Looking at the ID, I discovered that it was L by the lack of name. Light was in the kitchen eating breakfast, so I made a dirty look and answered the phone. "What do you want?"

"By the tone of your voice I'm about 90% percent certain that Light Yagami is in the same room or nearby," L stated.

"_Of course_ I'm alright, you've got to stop worrying all the time, you're not my mother."

"Speaking of which-" L was interrupted by none other than...my mother.

"Yugi Akiteru, where are you? Answer me Young Lady!" Apparently she snatched the phone away from L.

"I'm Fine," I replied.

"You better get your little tail back here right now or you're gonna be in big trouble, Missy!"

I sighed. "Whatever, I'll be there in an hour." I then hung up. "I gotta get back to the hotel, or I'm gonna have more than just a pair of bleeding ears to worry about."

"Okay," Sayu said. "Maybe next time you come over you can tell me who Felix Tilting is."

"Yeah, sure."

There was a knock on the door. It didn't sound friendly. Light went to answer it. "Yes?"

"Where's Yugi?" a voice demanded.

"Oh, shit," I muttered. I quickly ran toward the front door to see Mom, with a look of fire in her eyes. "What part of 'I'll be there in an hour' do you not understand?" I asked.

"Yugi, who is this?" Light asked.

I turned to him slightly. "This is Dr. Darvich, she's been taking care of Heideki and me."

"Come on, Yugi, now," Mom said sternly. I sighed.

"See you at school, Light," I muttered. Light nodded.

"See you later."

Mom and I walked toward the limo where Watari was waiting. "How'd you get here so fast anyway?" I asked.

"It doesn't matter," Mom replied gruffly.

I rolled my eyes and got into the limo. "Hello, Watari."

"Good Morning, Miss Yugi." Watari started the engine and drove to the hotel. L and the task force were going through databases trying to find another oppourtunity to confront Kira.

"Hiya Ryuzaki, did ya miss me?" I asked, jumping onto the couch next to him.

"Don't you have a report to send?" he asked back.

"I'll do it later," I said. "now answer my question."

"Go send your report."

"Come on, Ryuzaki."

"Now."

I huffed and stood. Then I stomped to my room with my laptop. Logging in, I contacted Near and Mello.

"Hi, guys," I said when they logged on.

"Hey," Near said. "Any luck on finding Kira?"

I shook my head. "No. I think we hit a dead end."

"Well that sucks," Mello commented. He was in a mood again. "We got nothing on this end either."

"Bummer."

"On the bright side of things," Near noted, "Mello got a higher score on this last test."

"Really? That's great." Mello rolled his eyes. I tilted my head. "What now?"

"It wasn't good enough to beat Sheepie over there," he muttered, nodding toward Near.

"Aww, you gave him a cute nickname?" I feigned a gush. "I knew there was something going on between you two."

Matt decieded to walk in at that moment and heard me. He had a a WTF look on his face.

"Okay, what the hell have you been smoking over there?" Mello demanded angrily.

"Whatever it is," Matt said, "Can you send me some?" I tilted my head when he lifted his goggles. There was something different about him...but I couldn't place what.

I shook my head. "Don't worry, I'm kidding," I said.

"You better be," Mello muttered.

"Are you on your period, Mells?"

"Don't Fucking Call Me That!"

Matt fell to the floor laughing hard. Well, he didn't deny it.

"Why are you here anyway, Matt?" Mello asked. "Did you find out something we didn't or something?"

Matt stopped laughing and stood up in rememberance. "Oh, yeah. As a matter of fact, I did." He ran over and pushed himself in between Near and Mello, knocking Mello out of the camera's view with an _oof_. "From extensive research and what you described to me, I found out that the reason your eyes constantly turn red is because you have what they call Shinigami Eyes."

"Shini-what-ee?" I tilted my head.

"You have the eyes of a Death God," Mello stated bluntly.

"Oh."

"And that means you can see the names and lifespans of everyone around you," said Matt.

A strange scent hit my nostrils and I suddenly grew dizzy. "L-lifespan..."

Mello sighed. "You know; the amount of time a person has left to live?"

"T-time..." I began to breathe heavily. "...left...to live..." I looked above the boys' heads. Then my world went dark.

**Mello's POV (3rd person)**

"Yugi?" Near called out softly. Mello watched as she passed out and worry suddenly filled his senses.

"Yugi!" Mello moved closer to the screen in hopes of seeing where she fell (even thought it doesn't work that way). "Yugi, answer me." When she didn't do so, he growled and left the room, heading for Roger's office.

Matt ran after him. "Hey, where are you going?"

"Japan," Mello replied.

"Don't you think that's a little reckless?"

Mello didn't answer. Matt jumped in front of him. "Mello!" He stopped. "Answer me, dude, you're not making any sense right now." Mello still didn't answer. "What's gotten into you, man?"

Mello said something Matt couldn't hear. "What was that?"

"I LIKE HER, OKAY?!" Mello decided that there was no point in hiding it from his best friend any longer.

Matt gave a small look of shock before it went away. "Well, that explains a lot."

"I'm serious," Mello stated. "I...I can't stop thinking about her, Matt. Everything I do, everywhere I go, she's always on my mind with that stubborn, yet playful attitude, her hair swaying in the breeze as the sun touches her tan skin...the way she dances as if in a musical at the most random times...hearing her sing when she thinks nobody is listening is like I had died and woke up to the song of an angel..." His mind wandered to the day he first heard her sing.

~*Flashback*~

_Mello was stomping away from Roger's office again. "That no good prick is a pain in my ass; and that green haired bitch is gonna pay." he muttered as he went upstairs. Down one of the halls leading toward his room, he heard something. Someone was singing._

_He followed the sound to a door that was cracked open just enough for someone to peer through. He did so and saw none other than that new girl he hated so much._

_She was sitting at her desk with a mirror sitting on the top. Her mouth moved along with the lyrics to the song, not knowing she now had an audience._

_Mello recognized the song she was singing. It was a russian lullaby that his mother use to sing to him._

**"...****Spi, moy angel, tikho, sladko,**

**Bayushki-bayu.****.."**

_The girl continued to sing as she pulled out a pair of scisors and began to cut her hair. Mello stepped away from the door and continued toward his room. The voice of an angel rang through his ears for the rest of the night._

~*EndFlashback*~

"Yoo-hoo, Earth to Mello!"

Mello blinked and looked at Matt. "What?"

Matt rolled his eyes. "I said, 'I'm sure she'll be alright.' Now let's get to the dining hall before they run out of food." He turned toward where the dining hall was, but Mello just returned to walking toward Roger's office.

"Pass, Matt. I'm going after Yugi and you can't stop me."

Matt stopped and sighed. "Fine." He then followed Mello. "Then I'm coming with you."

"What?"

"Something my father always said was 'if you can't beat 'em, join 'em'...then again, he also said that suicide was wrong before he shot himself..."

Mello gave Matt a weird look. "Right..."

"So, you're going against L's orders just so you can see Yugi?" Near randomly appeared out of nowhere.

Mello rolled his eyes. "Let me guess, you want to come too?"

"I'd be lying if i didn't say I was considering it," was all he said. Mello sighed.

"So, I guess we're all going then?" Matt asked.

"Yes."

***Rogers office***

"No."

Mello glared at the headmaster. "What do you mean, 'No'?!"

Roger sighed. "I mean, I simply cannot allow three children to go wandering off halfway across the world during the biggest crisis to date."

"But Yugi could be in trouble; L might need our help!"

"If he requires your assistance he will contact me, but until then I won't let you leave," Roger stated firmly. "Now return to your rooms immediatly."

Mello growled in frustration and stomped out of the office angrily. Matt and Near followed behind him.

"Now what do we do?" Matt asked.

Mello thought for a moment then he figured it out. "I've got it-"

"Why don't we just do what Yugi did when L left for the case?" Near suggested.

Mello growled. "I had that idea first," he muttered.

None the less, the three agreed, and set off to the airport after packing a few necesities. "So how are we getting to the airport?" Near asked.

"Are you serious right now?" Mello asked.

"Yes."

"Don't worry guys," Matt declared, "I have a plan."

~*TimeSkip*~

"Matt, I don't think I like this Idea," Mello said, gripping the seat as Matt started the ignition of the black Dodge Charger. "Where'd you even get this?!"

"It's a rental."

"Might I ask how you were able to rent a car when you don't even have a license?" Near asked.

"You ever hear of Fake ID's?" Matt asked. "Apparently people who work minimum wage can't tell them apart from genuine ones." He turned the gear shift and smirked. "Buckle up." He slammed on the gas.

Mello was so terrified that he signed the Catholic cross over his chest and prayed that he wouldn't die. Near was in the back calmly playing with a 90-squared Rubik's Cube.

"Which way to the airport again?" Matt asked.

"What the Hell?!" Mello demanded.

"Take a left," Near replied not looking away from the toy in his hands. Matt did so, causing the tires to screech. "Now take a right."

Mello went pale as Matt followed Nears instructions. "I think I'm gonna be sick..."

"Dude, don't puke, or I'll lose the compensation on this thing," Matt said.

"Screw your compensation and keep your damn eyes on the fucking road!"

"Take another right."

Matt swerved right. "There's the entrance, we're gonna make it!"

"Oh, praise the Lord!"

Next thing the three of them knew, red and blue light's flashed behind them, and Near looked back. "We've got cops."

"Shit!" Mello cursed.

"Alright, calm down, I got this," Matt announced. He pulled over and reached into the glove compartment. "Here, Mells, put these on, and whatever you do, keep your mouth shut." He handed Mello a feathered hat and fancy pink sunglasses.

"What?! No way!" Mello refused.

"Just do it or you won't get to see Yugi."

The police officer stepped out of his car and slowly approached the driver's side window of the rental.

Mello sighed. "Fine, give me the damn hat."

When the officer stepped next to the window, Mello was wearing the hat and sunglasses while Matt was wearing a fake mustache and monochole.

The officer tapped on the window and Matt opened it. He looked at the officer. "Is-a there a problem-a officer?" he asked in a fake italian accent.

The officer peered at Matt and Mello suspiciously, then turned to Near, who was still working on the Rubik's cube. He then turned to Matt and began to speak. "Sir, did you know how fast you were going?"

Matt scratched the back of his head. "Oh, My apologies...a-we were in a bit of a hurry..."

"Sir that doesn't excuse the fact that you were going 27 kilometers above the set speed limit," the officer stated. "I'm going to have to see your license."

"Oh, of-a course..." Matt began to pull out his wallet and handed him a card. The officer looked at it and began to write down something on a notepad.

"So where you off to Mr. Denozo?" The officer asked.

"We're a-traveling across-a the world," Matt replied. "And-a it is-a Denozoro...you forgot-a the 'r' sir."

"Oh, right," the officer looked at the card again. "Don't know how I missed that, I apologize." He looked up to see Mello just sitting there bored out of his mind. "Who's this lovely miss?"

"Well, officer," Matt said, "This is-a my wife, Michelle Denozoro, and-a the little one in the back is-a our boy Nicholas Denozoro."

The officer looked at Near again. "Huh; I don't see any resemblance..."

"I'm adopted," Near stated bluntly without an accent.

"I see..." the officer looked back at Matt and returned the card. "Well, Mr. Denozoro, I'll let you off with a warning, but if you speed again, you'll be behind bars, is that understood?"

"Loud and-a clear, officer," Matt replied. The officer tipped his hat and left.

As soon as he drove off, Mello ripped off the hat. "Really, Matt? Your wife?!"

"What? I was under a lot of pressure, okay?"

"No, that is not okay!" Mello yelled as he ripped the mustache off of Matt's mouth. "Where did you even get this crap?"

Matt shrugged. "A guy has to be prepared for everything."

"That another motivational quote from your dad?"

"Hey, my dad was awesome!"

"Until he shot himself."

"Can you blame him?" Matt asked. "He lost his mind and had a gun in his hand!"

"Will the two of you shut up and get moving?" Near asked, "We're on a bit of a tight schedule."

"I hate to admit it, but the sheep is right, get moving!" Mello commanded.

"Alright, alright. But Mello?"

"What?"

"I'm going to need my Moustache back. And you're going to need to keep the hat." Mello groaned.

_**((Author's Note)) Dun dun dunnnnn! There you have it. Our Wammy boys are going to Japan. I hope you enjoyed this chapter and if you did, please tell me what you liked and what you think might happen. I'd love to hear your crazy ideas.**_

_**Also I've been thinking...Does Yugi seem a bit like a mary sue? I've been re-reading my drafts multiple times and I'm not sure if she is a bit "too perfect". I won't hate anyone if they believe she is, but if you do, could you tell me what you don't like about her? It might help me solve my little dilema (I know for certain that isn't spelled right) and help me become a better writer.**_

_**Until next time...**_

_**-Garden**_


	23. Chapter 23

_**((Author's Note)) I'm back once again, my little flowers; and here with a new chapter.**_

_**((Author's Note)) Okay so last time we left off, we had the Wammy boys heading for the airport after Yugi passed out during a report. Here's the thing though; What happened to our favorite blue haired, persian wolf gir?**_

_**Well, as the author of this story, I'm here to tell you what happens next.**_

Chapter 23

**L's Pov (3rd Person)**

It had been hours since L had sent Yugi to send her report to Wammy House. He initially thought nothing of it, however, and continued to make a mountain out of his strawberry flavored marshmellows.

"Yugi's been in there a long time," Matsuda voiced out concerned. "You think she's alright?"

"Don't worry, Matsuda, she's fine," Equal stated.

"But she's usually out here by now...helping us with the case..."

"She's probably changing her clothes or something, just let her be," Aizawa rolled his eyes.

A cellphone rang and Equal picked it up. "Hello?" She gasped. "Kani?! What's wrong? Where's Shino?" She put her hand to her mouth in obvious worry.

"Isn't Kani like three or something?" Ukita whispered.

Equal tried to calm down the apparently hysterical chiled. "Okay, honey, just calm down. Just calm down and tell me what happened...Kani? Kani!"

"What happened?" L asked, taking his attention off of his Marshmellow Mountain and facing Equal.

"Who are you?" Equal demanded to the phone. "What have you done with my son?" An eerie silence fell over the room as her hand began to shake. "No. Not until you tell me where my son is!" She gritted her teeth and sighed. "Fine." She pulled the phone away from her ear and put it on speaker.

"Thank you for your cooperation, Equal," a distorted voice stated in mock kindness.

"Now where is Kani?" Equal demanded. The person on the other end chuckled.

"You don't need to worry about Kaniko...he's perefectly fine. After all, he's not the one I was after..."

"What do you mean? Did you hurt Shino?" Equal asked. "She's just the babysitter, she didn't do anything!"

"Oh, no, no, no. Shino is also fine...she just happened to be in possesion of something I needed." The person chuckled again. "That, however is out of the way and is no longer an obstacle."

"What are you planning?" Equal asked.

"Oh, nothing really," the person said nonchalantly. "Just what your husband was able to accomplish."

Equal's eyes widened.

"But just doing what I need to and waiting to be found is just no fun. So that's why I requested you put your phone on Speaker...Because I know for a fact that you, L, are in the same room listening."

The task force all silently turn their heads to look at L. He was also silent, and he chewed his thumb in thought.

"I want to see how truly powerful you can be. Sure you've done many great things, solved countless cases that others could not...but that does not convince me. Perhaps this might."

"And what makes you think I would put my current case on hold just to go after you?" L spoke to the person for the first time.

"Only one simple fact," the person replied. "The fact that I hold your mate captive."

"Mate?" Matsuda wondered.

"What is he talking about?" Yagami asked.

The voice continued. "I want to see if you're as good of a detective as Abstract had hoped you would be. Perhaps then I would be convinced."

There was silence for a moment and the voice chuckled.

"She is rather interesting. After all...It's not everyday, you see a girl with such beautiful, golden eyes." The phone line went dead and Equal dropped the phone in shock.

"Equal?" Yagami asked.

Equal looked around before running to the door. "I got to get to the apartment."

"I'll have Watari take you," L stated softly. Watari gave a small nod and followed Equal out to the limo.

"What about that girl?" Aizawa asked. "The one that person took...they said she was your mate like you were some sort of animal or something."

"They didn't say it as if _I _were the animal," L explained. "They said it because _she _is the animal."

"Ryuzaki?" Matsuda asked, thinking weird thoughts.

L looked at a jar of penut butter that was sitting nearby. "They have Yugi."

His cellphone vibrated in his pocket. He picked it up like a diseased rat and put it up to his ear. "Yes?"

"L, the boys have run away." It was Roger on the phone. "I think they're on their way to Japan."

"I understand. Thank you for letting me know. I await their arrival."

"But-"

"Their reason for leaving has already come to my attention, altough their ideas appear to be reckless, comming here will be a great benefit. Once their use here is done I will promptly send them back."

Roger was hesitant before he groaned in defeat. "Y-yes sir."

L hung up and turned to the task force. Matsuda decided to speak up.

"Ryuzaki...how are we going to find Yugi?" he asked.

L looked in Matsuda's direction. "For right now, we will continue on the Kira case. We can't afford to get sidetracked."

"What about this new threat?" Yagami asked. "For all we know, this person could be linked to Kira."

"That is obviously not the case," L replied. "What could Kira gain from kidnapping an innocent person? Let alone the daughter of a genetic scientist?" He shook his head. "If anyone, this person is someone who knew Yugi's father; possibly worked for or with him in his lab before it burned down."

**Yugi's Pov (1st Person)**

My head was in pain from whatever it was that knocked me out. "Ngh..." I tried to open my eyes, but I was blindfolded. I tried to move, but I was tied to a chair. "Where am I?" I muttered.

"I see that you are awake." I turned my head toward the voice of a woman. "I hope your not hurting too much from the gas. The after effects can be a little jarring."

"Who are you?" I asked, still a bit light headed.

"just an old friend of your father's, that's all."

My ears perked up slightly. "You know my dad?"

"Mm-hm," the woman replied. "Unfortunately, I lost contact with him after a certain little accident you caused about five years ago."

She was clearly talking about Akiteru's lab burning down.

"Because of that, your father lost everything. All of his research was destroyed, reduced to nothing but ash." She put a hand on my shoulder. "That was all but one little bit; and he gave it to a friend to keep safe until he could get his lab up and running again."

"Who are you, really?" I asked again. "What do you want with me?"

The woman sighed. "I guess I have no other alternative." She pulled on the blindfold, allowing it to drop away from my eyes and out of my face. she then moved in front of me.

I blinked. when I saw her face, a memory flashed into my mind. The woman was Japanese, with black hair tied in a ponytail and calm brown eyes. She was one of the interns I saw when I broke out of the lab. I then glanced above her head and read her name with my shinigami eyes and gasped.

"You're Nishiko Kuroka. You were an intern at Akiteru Labs."

Nishiko gave me a dark smirk. "Yes. And I was greatly inspired by Akiteru's work...more specifically, you." I rolled my eyes as she walked over to a table with various medical equipment. "So much in fact, that I wanted to replicate his work." She produced a syringe with a blue liquid from the various tools and made her way toward me.

She grabbed my arm and injected the stuff into my veins. "Ouch!"

She pulled the syringe away and carelessly tossed it on the table before writing something down on a clipboard.

"What was that stuff?" I asked, feeling a bit dizzy.

"A serum to clear out any drugs in your system," Nishiko replied bluntly.

My vision grew foggy and I began to sweat from heat. A loud ringing began to make its way to my ears.

"Now, let's begin the first test," Nishiko said calmly.

I couldn't help but let out a chilling scream.

**Mello's Pov (3rd Person)**

When the plane landed in Kyoto's airport, Near, Mello and Matt made their way quickly to the exit. "Okay," Mello stated, "Where do we go now?"

Near curled his hair around his index finger in thought as Matt looked around.

Suddenly, a hand grasped Mello's shoulder and he turned around to see-

"Watari?" Near and Matt turned around as well to see the kind, old man.

"Hello, boys," Watari greeted.

"You're not sending us back, are you?" Matt asked.

"No," Watari replied. "I'm taking you to the current Kira headquarters. L is already expecting you." He led the three boys to the waiting limo, where another woman sat in the passenger seat and another boy about the age of three sat in the back.

Matt climbed in next to the boy while Mello and Near sat in the rear facing seats across from them. The boy looked at them with big, cobalt eyes.

"Hoo Yoo?" he asked. Mello rolled his eyes at the child's lack of grammar skills and just looked out the window as Watari began to drive out of the airport. The boy saw this and whispered to Matt, "Dat goorl wooks meen."

Matt surpressed a laugh as Mello shot glare at the boy. Near just stared blankly at him and curled his hair around his fingers.

"Are you, by any chance, related to Yugi?" Near asked the boy. He seemed to understand and nodded.

"Das ma sistah. She hawf woof!" he replied. "Ma nam Kaneeko. I hawf kitty."

The woman glanced back toward the boy. "Kani, that's enough of that for today." She sounded tired and slightly annoyed, although she tried to hide it.

"But Mommy-"

"Please, just..." the woman sighed. "Just stop, okay?"

Kani looked away from his mother. "Okay."

"Thank you." The woman turned back in her seat properly and the vehicle was quiet the rest of the way there.

"Mommy is sad becaws she misses ma sissy," Kani whispered. "Dis weewee meen goorl took hew away and poked me wif somting. See?" He held out his arm to show a bandaid in the crook of his elbow. "She sed dat it wood make me wike her when I get biggew."

Watari stopped at a hotel and the group exited the limo. He then led the group into the room currently occupied by the world's greatest detective and the NPA task force.

"Pardon the intrusion, gentlemen," Watari apologized as he entered the room, "But our new recruits are here to assist in our search for Yugi."

Mello followed Matt and Near into the room and looked at the task force in a bored manner. The one guy with an afro sighed. "Really, More kids?"

"While all three of them are physically young, each of them have a mental capacity that has grown far beyond their years," L excplained. Mello couldn't help but swell a little with pride at the statement.

"So how are they going to help find Yugi?" Matsuda asked.

"Matt is good with technology. He can hack into hundreds of computers at once as well as track any radio signals that come his way," L stated as Matt nodded.

"I'll be able to find her location if a signal ever comes up," he comfirmed.

"Near and Mello are able to assess a situation and take the steps necessary to reach their goal each in an individual way," L continued. Mello nodded like Matt while Near just blinked. "While one prefers to make an immediate and direct approach to the situation, the other will search for a more indirect method."

"Although an indirect approach may take more time, it allows a more thorough search on the situation as well as a lower death count," Near stated.

Mello huffed. "but it also gives the target a chance to gain the upper hand and turn the tables on us. If a situation is dealt with more directly, it would be more time efficient and we wouldn't be constantly running around in circles."

"I would give multiple reasons on how reckless that can be, but due to the fact that there is no time for debate, I will elect to ignore it."

With that, the trio began to get to work. Matt started by reviewing the footage from the video chat program they used to discuss the case with Yugi. Mello was with him, helping him review the footage.

Meanwhile, Near was talking to Kani about what had happened when he called his mother, whom the three had learned was known as Equal.

"Da meen goorl was tall wif bwack haiw, and bwown eyes. Dere was someting on her skin that wooked wike a heawt on hew neck wight heaw." Kani pionted to his own neck, just below his right ear to show where the heart shape was on the woman who broke in.

Near nodded in understanding as he drew on a piece of paper. Mello glanced at Kani as he described the woman to Near, and noticed that he had a habit of moving his fingers nonstop unless he was holding a large object or pointing at something, be it a small twitch or repeatedly tapping it on the floor or table.

"Is this right?" Near asked, showing Kani the finished drawing. Of course it wasn't as good as Linda, who could draw a portait and make it look like a photograph, but it still served a purpose.

"Hew eyes wew nawowah and hew smiw was widah."

Watari then spoke up from his cellphone. "Ryuzaki, something seems to be happening on Sakura TV."

Ryuzaki nodded and turned on the TV.

"_In other words, all of our reporters and staff here are Kira's hostages. Aside from that, we have a professional obligation to share this message with you. I assure you that this is not a hoax, and that Sakura TV is not airing this tape for the purposes of sensationalism_."

"Kira's hostages?"

"What is this?!"

Mello just rolled his eyes. "I've heard of Sakura TV...There is nothing on that channel that isn't aired for sensationalism."

"_Four days ago, our program director here at Sakura TV received four tapes. After a thorough examination, there could be no doubt that they were from Kira himself_."

"That statement alone doesn't make sense," Matt noted, taking his eyes off of Yugi's computer. "Kira has never done something like this before, it's not like him."

"But if what they're saying is true, it's clearly something that only Kira could do," L stated.

"Weeoosaki made a wyme!" Kani exclaimed.

"_Kira has instructed us to air this second tape today at exactly 5:59 p.m., and we do intend to comply with his demands. This tape should offer proof of his powers by predicting yet another death. Beyond that, we understand that it contains a message to all the people of the world from Kira_."

"This has to be another fake, don't you think?" Aizawa asked.

"I doubt it. I'm pretty sure even Sakura TV wouldn't stoop that low," Matsuda replied.

"You'd be surprised," Equal stated.

"_And now, the video_."

_**((Author's Note)) I think I'll stop the chapter here. Sorry if the chapter seems a bit dull. I've hit several rocks throughout writing this, and it's a bit hard to type with a broken finger (harder than I thought it would be, anyway).**_

_**Also thank you guys so much for the encouragement when I asked if Yugi seemed like a mary-sue. I'm so glad that readers actually love her to pieces. If I knew you in person I'd give you all a big hug.**_

_**As a final note: I have finally put up the Top 20 facts that I had promised a while back. You can find them on my profile along with more facts to make up for the delay as well as more to expect for the future.**_

_**Until next time, my flowers,**_

_**-Garden**_


	24. Chapter 24

_**((Author's Note)) Hello once again, my flowers. I have returned once again.**_

_**I dont really have anything else to say before this chapter, so I'll just go ahead and present you with it and hope you enjoy it.**_

_**So, Here you go.**_

Chapter 24

**Mello's Pov (3rd Person)**

It's been several days since the broadcast on Sakura TV. Cheif Yagami had broken out of the hospital and crashed into the station getting all of the tapes from the broadcast; L had reviewed the tapes and deduced that this Kira was indeed a copycat, dubbing him the Second Kira; and the three boys continued their search for a lead on where Yugi could be. Needless to say Mello was getting restless.

_Damn it. This woman knows how to stay under the radar._ He glanced over at Near, who was once again interracting with Kani, rather than making an effort to find their companion. "I need some air," he muttered to Matt before getting up and leaving the room.

The day was a bit chilly, so he grabbed his jacket on the way out the door.

"Hey, wait up!" a voice squeaked out. Mello stopped and turned around to see Kani running to catch up while slipping his own jacket on. Mello sighed and walked toward the boy and helped him with his jacket. "Thanks."

"Whatever." Mello then turned around and continued to walk along the street with Kani following close behind him.

"You know, we could probably get some copies of Near's drawing and pass them around and see if we could get leads to finding the woman who took Yugi that way," he suggested to the blonde.

Mello shook his head. "Yeah, and what happens if she gets wind that we're looking for her?"

Kani looked down at the sidewalk, dejected. "Oh...I'm sorry...I just thought it would be a good idea."

Mello glanced at Kani and felt a bit of guilt wash over him. "Hey," he nudged him. "I should be sorry. I shot your idea down without considering it."

"That's okay," Kani smiled. "You're worried about my sister. I understand."

As Kani continued to talk, Mello noticed something about his speech pattern. "When did you start talking like that?"

"What do you mean?" Kani wondered as they entered a shopping district.

"You've been talking normal all day, and I just realized that," Mello clarified.

Kani nodded in understanding. "Oh, well...a while ago I turned four, and so i figured that I might as well start talking my age, so I did."

Mello would have pointed out that Kani was talking like a ten-year-old and not a four-year-old, but something caught his attention.

It was a girl wearing a white dress, standing across the street looking through the window of a flower shop. She had firey red hair that reached the nape of her neck growing from beneath a white beanie and slightly tanned skin, but Mello couldn't see her face, since her back was facing him. He watched as she walked into the store and come back out with a bouquet of what appeared to be daffodils.

The girl smiled at the flowers before looking up and locking eyes with Mello. He tensed slightly at the sight of the girl's face. She looked exactly like Yugi. All the facial features were precise right down to the golden Irises he was familiar with. The girl quickly looked down and ran off with the flowers clutched to her chest.

Mello followed the girl with his eyes until she was out of sight. He continued to stare in the direction she went until Kani got his attention.

"your phone is ringing," he told the blonde. Mello looked at him for a moment before answering the phone.

"Hello?"

"Dude, where are you right now?" Matt asked.

Mello looked around briefly as he answered, "In the shopping area near the hotel, why?"

"I just saw this weird looking girl exiting the lobby as I was comming to get you. She had Purple hair and was wearing this dark blue dress and-"

"So what?" Mello interrupted.

Matt hesitated for a moment before stating the reason he brought the girl up. "She looked like Yugi."

Mello couldn't help but gasp.

"Mells, what is it?" Matt asked, "Is something wrong?"

Mello looked around himself again. "I-I'll tell you later. We're heading back to the hotel now." He hung up and grabbed Kani's hand, quickly making his way back to the current Kira headquarters.

~*TimeSkip*~

"What? No way!" Matt exclaimed as Mello explained what he saw just before he called.

"Are you sure these girls were real and not a figment of your imagination?" Aizawa asked.

"Look, the three of us have known Yugi for almost three years. I'm pretty sure we all know what she looks like," Mello snapped.

"Not to mention that it has been scientifically proven that everyone has at least seven other people that look just like them," Matt stated.

"But the odds of running into one alone is very slim," Matsuda explained. "As much as I want to believe it, I dont think those girls are real."

Suddenly there was a frantic knock on the door. "Please help, someone!"

Yagami looked up from the paperwork he was going through and glanced at L. He just stared blankly at the door.

"Is someone there? Please, I'm begging you!"

"Watari," L said, "go see who it is and find out what what they want."

Watari did as he was told and cracked the door open. "What can I help you with?" he asked before he let out a small grunt of surprise.

"Watari, what is it?" L demanded.

"Please," came a familiar voice. "My sister is hurt and needs medical attention, but I don't have a cellphone and nobody was at the receptionist's desk."

Matt, Mello and Near turned toward the door as L told Watari to let them in.

One girl came in, with the other's arm around her shoulder. Matt and Mello gasped. They were the same girls they had seen earlier. The one with purple hair was carrying the one with red hair, who was unconcious and had a head injury.

Forgetting the argument about the existance of the girls, Matsuda and Aizawa quickly ran to help lay the redhead on one of the couches. Meanwhile, L Just stared blankly at them, observing their movements with great detail. Mello was certain he was analyzing whether they were a threat or not.

Yagami approached the purple haired girl and asked, "Can you tell us what happened?" The girl nodded and sat down on the other couch. "What's your name?"

The girl played with a ring on her index finger before answering, "We were just going to give her flowers...but we saw something...and she wasn't happy..."

"Can you please explain?" L asked. The girl looked up at him, visibly surprised.

"W-we were looking for flower shops that sold her favorite..."

"Who's favorite?"

"O-our mother's..." she trailed off. "At least...I thought she was our mother..." The girl wouldn't speak more after that.

L began to think about the situation and he soon came to a decision. "Everyone, gather as much equipment as you can. Watari will lead you all to the next hotel."

"Wait!" The girl stood up and approached L. "What about my sister? She needs help!"

L turned to look at the girl. "I will assist you and her to the nearest hospital where she will get proper medical attention."

"you can't!" She exclaimed, grabbing onto his arm.

"And why is that?"

The girl hesitated, looking among everyone before heaving a huge sigh. "Both of us...We're different..." She then pulled off her blue beanie to reveal a pair of dark violet wolf ears. Everyone gasped and Kani tilted his head.

"You're just like Yugi..." he said softly.

Mello and Matt looked at each other as Near began twirling his hair between his fingers. "Ryuzaki," the albino adressed L,"Perhaps it would be beneficial for them to come with us."

L hummed in thought at Near's suggestion and nodded. "Yes, you could be right..."

"Hold on," Aizawa butt in. "We can't just keep letting kids tag along like this is some fanfiction!" he exclaimed. "I don't care if they look like Yugi, this is a serious investigation! Criminals are continuing to die as we speak and them tagging along isn't getting us any closer to catching Kira!"

"Mr. Aizawa, I would appreciate if you keep your negative opinions to yourself for the time being," L stated before adressing Mello and Matt. "Get in contact with Equal and inform her of the situation. Make sure she is mentally prepared before she comes to the new hotel."

Matt and Mello both nodded before leaving to head to Equal's apartment. By the time they got there, it began to rain. They knocked on her door soaking wet.

"Who's there?" Equal's voice was shaky behind the door.

"It's us," Matt said, sivering from the cold. "Matt and Mello. Ryuzaki sent us, there's something important we need to tell you."

Equal opened the door slightly. "What is it? I'm kind of busy."

"We think we've got a lead on Yugi," Mello said, almost excitedly. "But we need to explain everything to you before we go to the new hotel." He then let out a small sneeze.

Equal went into complete "mother mode" and opened her door completely and pulled the boys inside.

"Would you like something warm to drink?" Equal asked. "How about some hot chocolate?"

Mello nodded vigorously. He had run out of chocolate a while ago and was on the brink of going through withdrawl symptoms. That has happened once before and it wasn't a pretty sight.

_Flashback_

_"You little bitch!" Mello exclaimed at Yugi, who had once again swiped his chocolate and was waving it in his face. "Give it back right now!"_

_"Oh please," Yugi smirked. "I bet you couldn't last two weeks without this stuff."_

_Mello saw this as an opportunity to surpass the wolf girl and gave a dark smile. "You're on!"_

_"If You win, I will personally eat enough of this shit to kill me," Yugi decieded._

_"And if you win?" Mello asked._

_"If I win I want you and Matt to become friends." And so, it was set that Mello woouldn't be allowed to touch chocolate for fourteen days. He started out strong and confident at first, but by the fifth day he had become extremely moody._

_By the second week, he would barely move, kind of like if a night owl was woken up at five in the morning. He went pale with dark circles around his eyes by day eight. By day ten he was on the brink of losing it, and then the next day, he did._

_He broke into the pantry and devoured everything that had choclate in it, including raw cake powder and brownie mix. Of course he got in trouble for it, but he fulfilled his bet and became friends with Matt._

_Yugi was impressed with how well he managed to get through without chocolate. So much, in fact, that she willingly ate enough chocolate just to get her hospialized for about a month._

_End Flashback_

"Here you go," Equal said, handing both boys a hot cup of cocoa. Mello took his and savored the taste. "Do you like it?"

Mello nodded while Matt stated so with a "Yes, Ma'am."

Equal smiled. "Good. That's my grandmother's recipe, and I've never got to try it until now."

"How come?" Mello asked. He knew Yugi's allergy to chocolate would be a reason, that and she didn't know Equal was her mother until somewhat recently; but what about Kani?

"None of my kids were able to try it."

Both Mello and Matt caught on to what she was saying almost instantly. _None? Wouldn't she have said Neither since she only had Yugi and Kani?_ Mello wondered. _Unless..._

"Equal?" Matt asked. "Did Yugi have any other siblings...other than Kani?"

Equal looked down at her own cup of cocoa. Her face was blank as she seemed to revisit the past. She then let out a small sigh and slowly nodded. "Yes. She did."

_**((Author's Note)) *huff*...*puff*...finally...*huff*...done! Oh man, this chapter took me FOREVER! Hey, you guys still alive? If you are...I'm sorry it took so long! I've been in a bit of a brain deflation...Don't worry guys, i'm getting by.**_

_**Anyway, if you guys want to [somewhat] talk to me directly, why not check out my story on Wattpad: Time to Chat with Author-Chan. So far I only have a beginning note and a stupid story on what I do when I get bored at work. Trust me when I say, "You wouldn't believe it was written by me."**_

_**Then again, maybe you would...**_

_**Anyway, here's the link to that story (you will have to remove the spaces for obvious reasons):**_

_** www. wattpad story/77859848- time- to- chat- with- author- chan**_

_**Well I hope you try to talk to me, because I'm kind of lonely and I don't want to bore you with my life so go on over there and ask me something...anything so I don't have to reveal my insanity!**_

_**...Please?**_

_**...Pretty please?**_

_**...Pretty Please with L eating a cherry on top?**_

_**...No?**_

_**okay, fine.**_

_**If you enjoyed this chapter could you at least put an effort into writing a review and tell me what you liked, didn't like and maybe what you think I should do?**_

_**I don't even care if you cuss me out about whether this story is terrible or not. At least then I'll know that you read it.**_

_**Until next time, I hope you have a Plantastic day!**_

_**-Garden of Time**_


	25. Chapter 25

_**((Author's Note)) okay so the flash drive holding all my fanfiction Got ruined and I was stupid enough not to make any backups. It's times like these where i feel extremely stupid. What's worse was I had this chapter saved on it and nearly finished. Oh well, shit happens, I guess. I apologize for the inconvenience.**_

_**Also, don't forget to check out the poll on my page regarding who you personally ship Yugi with. It's only for the sake of my curiosity, but I would love to know your opinions.**_

_**Now, without further ado, i give you...**_

Chapter 25

What I was going through for the past several days was something simmilar to a horror movie. I was put through multiple different cycles of torture from physical (she gouged an eye out and put cockroaches in my ears) to psychological (hallucinogenic drugs and sadistic mind games). All for this bitch's experiments.

Today I was lucky not to be tortued. Nisiko told me last night, so I could "Mentally prepare myself for the future". But how could I prepare a mind that was already broken from day after day of abuse?

I never thought my mind could have ever been so easy to destroy. After all I had been through...losing my memory when I was nine, watching the closest thing I had to family kill innocent people, murdering the girl I loved, even if I only knew her for a few days...I use to think those things somehow made me stronger. Kind of like the lyrics to that one American song: What doesn't kill you makes you stronger.

However, now that I think about it, all those things that happened before I was taken to Wammy's didn't make me stronger. In fact, it was the opposite. All that death and despair helped destroy my mind. I was on the brink of insanity; and when I was at Wammy's, those happy memories merely numbed me to the harsh reality of the real world. All I needed to break was a tiny touch of torture...and here we are. I was now clinging on to a spider's thread of sanity.

"Aruki..." Nishiko came into the room and called out to me in a sing-song voice. I didn't even have the strength to raise my head and look at her face. "are you ready, darling?"

I managed to mutter a "yes" even hough it was a lie.

"Good." Nishiko lifted up my head.

"What...what do you want...from me?" I weakly asked. "D-don't you...don't you have...enough research?"

Nishiko chuckled. "You're right, Aruki. I do have enough research. In fact, I had so much, I was successfully able to clone your exact DNA and make almost perfect replicas of you; although with artificial memories, thanks to an old friend of Esther's."

"M-mom?"

"However, I'm keeping you for a completely different purpose now, my dear. You see, since you are more, shall I say, _closer_ to L than anyone else, I've decided to test him; more specifically, his emotions." Nishiko let my head drop and she began to walk around me, like one of those evil scientists on tv. "You see, I've discovered that during your heat cycle, you have this tendency to become _sexually aggressive_ when not in the vicinity of your current mate. Therefore, the only way to calm you down completely would be to either allow you to mate with your current partner, or push you to mate with someone else. Using some items from the hotel room you were in at the time, I've determined that the world's greatest detective himself was the last person you've encountered in that way by using one of his shirts, which happened to be in your room."

I remembered when Nishiko injected me with the serum that stopped the sterilizer in my bloodstream to stop working. I could still feel the unbearable heat within me, although it had been dulled as much as the rest of my senses over the course of my time here.

"I want to see if it affects him too." I gritted my teeth as she whispered in my ear, "I want to find out if he'll toss aside the Kira case just to search for you, The only company in his lonely, pitiful life of hiding behind a computer screen."

Nishiko then left me there to think about all the information she gave me. When she closed the door I let a single tear fall down my cheek.

**Mello's Pov (3rd Person)**

What Equal told Mello and Matt about Yugi's older brother saddened him. The child didn't even get a chance to live a day, since he was stilborn; and to think that his death resulted on Yugi getting experimented on for more than half her life all because Equal was afraid of losing her too.

"I hope to one day explain everything to her," Equal explained, "but with everything that's been going on, I fear i'll never get that chance..."

Matt glanced at Mello and nodded, signalling that it was time to tell her. Mello nodded back. "Equal, we believe that we found a lead on Yugi's wheraboutsas well as her captor."

Equal's eyes widened as Mello stated that. "What?"

"Earlier, a pair of girls came to headquarters. One of them is injured and she needs help," Matt explained.

"The thing is," Mello continued, "They're both like Yugi."

Equal tilted her head. "In what way?"

Mello tried to figure out how to explain. "Well...in _every _way, I guess."

Matt nodded. "Yeah. Basically, they're carbon copies of her, almost exact, except for their hair and fur color...and maybe a slightly different personality."

"L wanted us to make sure you were mentally prepared before taking you to our next headquarters."

Equal sighed. "I understand. I'll need a minute to find my medical supplies, and then I'll be ready."

**L's POV (3rd Person)**

L knew Watari was concerned when he told him that he would walk to the next hotel. When asked why, all he said was, "I need to think."

Watari nodded and left with the rest of the task force.

L stood there in the middle of the room silently. He had a strange feeling inside him that he couldn't quite explain. It wasn't lonliness; it wasn't depression or desire; he was certain it wasn't even love. Ever since those girls showed up...no, before that...the moment the woman that took her challenged him...the moment he discovered that Yugi had been kidnapped...he cod only describe the feeling as...

...Empty.

Of course, most people would sum it up as a feeling of longing toward another person, but that would contradict with L's conclusion regarding romantic emotions. Typically, those feelings would seem to surface in one's chest area, right where the heart was. This wasn't the case with L.

The empty feeling inside him wasn't focused in his chest. It wasn't focused anywhere for that matter. This feeling was just there.

L shook his head, pushing the thoughts out of his mind. There will be a better time to think about this, but for now, he needed to focus on the Kira case. He began his trek toward the next hotel, not bothering to blend in with the crowds that stared at him in silent judgement. As he walked, he planned his next move.

He had already determined that there was a second Kira acting inependent from the first, so the next thing to do was to draw him out. To do so, L decided that it would be efficient to recruit Light Yagami, the suspected First Kira. That way, not only would L use his excellent deductive skills to help solve the case, but he could also help determine if L's suspicions were true; help prove what he was certain of...that Light truly was Kira the whole time.

The empty feeling within him surfaced again and L foun himself sitting on a park bench in his usual, crouched position. _if Yugi were here, she'd know what this feeling was._

"Ryuga?"

L looked up at the familiar voice to see none other than Light staring at him. "Oh, hello there, Light. Fancy seeing you here."

Light gave a small chuckle. "I could say the same to you." He walked over to the bench. "Do you mind if I sit here?" L shook his head and allowed the college student to sit next to him.

"How's Yugi been?" Light asked, "I haven't seen her since her mother picked her up from my house."

L looked down at his shoes and scanned each if their features as if they held the secrets of the universe. "She's missing." His voice was hollow as he said that, and the empty feeling grew. What he said next not only surprised Light, but also himself; "And it's all my fault." L finally understood the empty feeling inside him. It was guilt. A feeling he often forgot about.

"What?!" Light exclaimed with worry. L visibly tensed, gripping his knees as he fought off surpressed feelings he was so use to ignoring.

"She was kidnapped the same day she returned to headquarters," L explained slowly, so he could keep himself together. The inaudible shivers building in his voice terified him. _Please refrain from bursting out_, he begged himself. "I told her to leave me alone. She tried to apologize for her behavior, but I asked her to go away. She went into her room...and then she was gone."

**Light's POV (3rd Person)**

Light had never seen L like this. As the detective explained what happened to Yugi, he could tell that he was fighting back tears. With these emotions coming from L, Light was unsure whether or not they were genuine.

"Sounds more like she ran away to me," Light stated after L's story. "What makes you say she was kidnapped?"

L looked up toward the sky at the dull clouds. "Her mother recieved a call from her kidnapper." Light contemplated on that statement as the wind began to grow slightly colder.

L gave out a small shiver as the wind ruffled his hair. Light figured it was because his baggy clothes were quite thin. Without giving it a second thought, he shed his coat and put it around the detective's shoulders. L glaced at him curiously, but he didn't speak.

"Is there anyway I can help?" Light asked.

L put his thumb to his lips. "Actually, in order to keep on schedule, I would have to coninue working on the Kira case while searcing for Yugi simultaneously. Your deductive skills could be quite useful in both."

"So, you'll let me join the task force?"

"I suppose...however there are a few things you must know once we get to headquarters."

Light nodded and the two of them stood up and began to head toward the new hotel. As they walked, light couldn't help but ask, "Ryuga, is Yugi really your cousin?"

L stopped for a moment before facing him, as small, dark smirk played on his lips. "No. That was only a cover up due to the age gap between us. In truth, Hatsune is my girlfriend."

_**((Author's Note)) Oooooo the bomb has been dropped!**_

_**Again I apologize for taking so long, and hopefully, I will be able to get the next chapter done soon.**_

_**Until then,**_

_**-Garden Of Time**_


	26. Chapter 26

_**((Author's Note)) Alright everybody, time to get the show on the road! I can't wait to present this chapter to you guys, so I'm Just gonna do it.**_

Chapter 26

"Aruki, It's time to eat."

Nishiko knelt in front of me with a bowl of soup and held out a spoonful toward my mouth. I just turned my head away, not wanting to eat.

By this time, my sanity was almost non -existant. I don't even feel the pain from the torture this woman put me through. The day I stopped screaming, she began to be nice to me; she untied me from the chains that bound me 24/7, put me in a room with a bed and blankets, amd gave me a clean set of clothes, consisting of a pair of grey sweatpants and a black and white striped sweater.

"Aruki, please," Nishiko begged as she tried feeding me again. I moved further away and curled into a crouched position in the nearest corner of the room and clung to the white shirt that had belonged to L. It was one of the only things linking me to the real world anymore...keeping me sane...keeping me alive.

Nishiko sighed and left the bowl on the table. "Fine then; it's here if you change your mind." She then left the cell, closing the door loudly and causing me to flinch from the loud noise. Instinctively, I reached for my collar and touched the cross holding the symbol of the truce I made with Mello almost a year ago...it seemed so much longer than that.

_Huh? What's this?_ There was something hidden behind the cross. It felt like a small device of some sort. _How did that get there?_ The device felt familiar to me, but I couldn't recognize why. _Maybe if I got a good look at it..._ I slowly stood and walked over to the small mirror on the other side of the room, One hand brushed against the device while the other still clung to L's shirt. When I reached the mirror, I lifted my chin to get a good look at it, ignoring my frazzled appearance. It was the location device that Watari had given me back in Los Angeles. I had forgotten that I had it.

That didn't matter anymore, though. All that mattered now was getting out of this place. Without hesitation, I pressed the button on the device. A small light began to blink dimly, and a beeping noise sounded in a frequency almost too low for me to hear. _Just a bit longer now, Yugi,_ I told myself. _Just hold on a little bit longer._

**Mello's Pov (3rd Person)**

Mello was very suspicious of Light when he first joined the task force. He was able to deduce everything that L did almost the exact same way, not to mention he wouldn't stop staring at the girls that looked exactly like Yugi.

When L introduced everyone, he gave the girls, Near, Kani, Matt, and Mello aliases; Violet, Ruby, Kyle, Nick, Miles, and Morgan. Yeah...Mello was a grump for the rest of the day.

Fake names aside, L began to explain to Light what they had found on the Kira case so far, and for the past several weeks, Light had been posing as a "Fake" Kira to draw out the Second Kira. While they were doing that, Mello continued to search for any leads on Yugi's location. He was beginning to get frustrated.

Suddenly there was a loud crash, causing everyone to look up and see Light on the floor with Violet standing over him with a glare on her face.

"Quit staring at us," she growled at him. She then walked away, taking Ruby's hand and going into a different room.

Light sat up and rubbed his head in pain. "They're definitely not like Yugi, that's for sure."

"Indeed, you're right," L stated. "Equal ran several tests and genetically, they are almost exact copies. Other from the obvious differences, they have an unnatural advantage when it comes to physical strength and speed; and from the information we were able to get from Violet, we can properly deduce that the two of them are genetically modified clones, created by a woman named Nishiko Kuroka."

"Who is that?" Light asked.

"A woman who worked for Yugi's father. Just about as obsessed with her as he was," Equal stated with her arms crossed uncomfortably.

"She was also my rival when we were young; which would explain why she is using her to test me," L stated thoughtfully. "What I don't understand was why she created duplicates in the first place..."

"In case the original was killed." Mello turned to see Ruby, who had suddenly appeared behind L.

"Killed?" Kani looked scared when heard Ruby say that.

"Would you care to explain?" L asked.

Ruby nodded, but before she could say anything, Violet appeared behind her. "No. We're not suppose to say anything."

"But-"

"We can't," she told Ruby. Then she turned to L. "Please understand that we don't mean to withold information...It's just..."

Violet didn't need to say anything for L and the task force to understand. "Say no more," L told her. "I understand."

Mello went back to Yugi's computer and realized he had been going through her files. He noticed that he found the folder with all of her Yugioh fanfiction. Out of curiosity, he began to read one.

"Ryuzaki!" Watari spoke in a shocked voice. "I've just recieved a signal from Yugi's locator."

L glanced at Watari and he showed him the computer screen. Mello looked as well.

"It's here?" he asked out loud.

"But how?" Matt wondered.

"I can answer that." It was Kani that piped up.

Equal looked shocked. "Kyle?"

Kani nodded. "Once it was revealed that it was Nishiko Kuroka that kidnapped Yugi, I did a bit of research and found out that her husband, Taketo Kuroka, is the owner of this hotel."

"And that is precisely why I had Watari prepare a room here," L stated. Equal turned on him instantly.

"You knew about this the whole time?!" she demanded, "And you never bothered to go after her?! Ryuzaki, my daughter was kidnapped, and knowing Nishiko-"

"I know where she's keeping her," Ruby interrupted quietly. Before she could say anything else, Violet stopped her.

"Aya, don't!" She begged. "If she finds out you said something..."

"I don't care!" Ruby snapped. "That woman can kill me if she wants, but I ain't keeping my mouth shut any longer! Not when she's doing such horrible things to someone who I consider family."

Ruby then walked up to Mello and held out her hand. "Come on, I'll take you to her."

~*TimeSkip*~

Mello glanced at the door uncertainly. "And you're sure this is the way in?" He looked at Ruby, who nodded. "Ruby, it's a girl's toilet!"

"I know," Ruby stated. "And stop calling me that! My name is Ayata."

"Not to be mean or anything," Matt said, "but L gave you an alias to protect you from Kira."

Ayata rolled her eyes. "You guys are weird. I don't believe in fake names. It's just another way for people to lie." She then opened the bathroom stall and pulled the three boys inside. The stall was labled handicapped, so there was plenty of room. Once they were inside, she locked the stall door. "Pull that Baby changing station off the wall," she told Mello.

He did so, with Matt's help. Behind it was an electrical pannel. "Holy sh-"

"Language, Morgan!" Ayata scolded, one of her pink wolf ears twitching as she walked up to the panel. "Honestly, don't you have any manners?"

Mello glared, he was about to shout at the girl, but he could only mutter, "It's Mello."

Ayata glanced at him it the way he was familiar with getting from Yugi. "I think I prefer Morgan."

_Of course she would_, Mello thought, rolling his eyes. Ayata opened the pannel and pressed several swiches. A part of the wall opened up and the toilet moved behind it showing a manhole with a ladder leading down into a dark tunnel.

"Nishiko has an entire network of tunnels underneath this part of the city," Ayata explained. "It's practically a labrynth for those unfamiliar with it."

"At least we have a special little Peony to lead our way," Matt nearly swooned. Mello had to keep himself from rolling his eyes. It was a bit obvious that Matt was getting a crush on the red haired clone. Mello thought it was ridiculous.

Ayata rolled her eyes and jumped down the hole. "You boys coming or what?"

Matt looked at Mello in shock. Mello just shrugged and climbed down the ladder to catch up with the red head.

_Don't worry, Yugi._ Mello thought as Matt followed him into the darkness. _We're coming_.

"It's this way," Ayata whispered, leading the boys through the tunnels.

Mello looked around, although it was rather pointless. The only light came from extremely dim bulbs that hung on the ceiling, giving the environment a spooky vibe. The floor was wet and the group's footsteps echoed softly through the cement walls. "Tell me again what the purpose of these tunnels were again," Mello said.

"When Taketo first had the building erected, he also had these tunnels dug for Nishiko. He would do anything to make her happy. I've never met him, but I'm certain he's a nice guy...Nishiko is just using him for her own personal gain."

"So, she practically made him build these tunnels for her without a second thought to why she wanted a sort of secret lair?" Matt guessed, "That poor guy is whipped hard!"

"Yeah..." Ayata stopped for a moment. "...Choo!" she sneezed. Matt instantly pushed passed Mello.

"If you're catching a cold, I found a whole bunch of remedies online that can help," he said. "for instance, I got these hypo-allergenic tissues, as well as some very soothing candles and bath salts that not only clear your sinuses, but smell really great." As he spoke, he seemed to produce the items out of thin air and put them into Ayata's hands. "Oh, and I also found that a concoction of cinnamon and honey-"

"Matt," Ayata interrupted, "Where did all this come from?"

Matt shrugged. "Some crazy person obsessed with plants told me to say that and give those to you should you ever sneeze while we were in a poorly lit tunnel leading to a friend that was kidnapped by a psycho lady bent on destroying the face of L or something like that. Why do you ask?"

Ayata didn't say anything as she dropped the items onto the ground and gave a very confused look to Matt. "A crazy person obsessed with plants? How long ago was that?"

Matt glanced at his watch. "Just before we came in here."

"But we were with you the whole time," Mello stated. "We didn't see anyone."

"Was that why you were talking to yourself earlier?" Ayata asked.

It was now Matt's turn to give a very confused look. "When was I talking to myself?"

Ayata glanced at Mello awkwardly. "Ehm...nevermind. Let's just get going. I don't want to be here any longer than I have to. I'll go nuts."

"Claustrophobic?" Mello asked, as they began to walk again.

"Yeah, how'd you know?"

Mello blushed. "...Yugi."

"Oh, right," Ayata said. She looked at his face, which seemed slightly saddened. "You like her, don't you?"

Mello nodded. "Yeah...but I think she likes someone else."

"Why? Just because Ryuzaki told you that he told Light that she was his girlfriend?" Ayata asked. "He only told him that to get under his skin. Light also has a thing for Yugi, that's pretty obvious, but if he is indeed Kira, then he might try to seduce her to get to L. It may not seem effective; in fact it seems cruel, but the only people standing in the way of Kira getting his name are the Second Kira and Yugi. L is already tracking down the Second Kira, so that takes care of one. The only way Kira can't get to L is if he keeps those who know his identety away from those he suspect, like Light."

"I know that!" Mello yelled. "And I know that isn't the main reason he said that!"

Ayata looked shocked at the blonde. "What do you mean?"

"I mean, I know about the heat cycles," Mello stated. "When Yugi first appeared at Wammy's, the entire faculty was informed. I happpened to listen in on the meeting concerning her increasing heat cycles."

"Then you understand why L is claiming responsibility," Ayata guessed.

"L was the only person in the original task force that she trusted. If there happened to be a spike in her cycle, he would be the only person she would ask for help from."

"Exactly."

"How do you know so much?" Mello couldn't help but wonder.

"While a lot of our memories are fake, being a clone gave us several of Yugi's memories as well," Ayata explained. "It makes us more...connected." She stopped walking again, her ears perked up at a sound neither Mello nor Matt could hear. "We're almost there. We need to stay silent now."

The boys nodded and the trio silently moved forward. As they did, the lighting slowly improved until it was so bright they had to stop to let their eyes adjust. Once they could see again, what they saw was shocking.

_**((Author's Note)) Whelp, that does it for this chapter. I hope you enjoyed.**_

_**Okay, so I have an announcement to make. On friday, October 21st and Saturday, October 22nd, I will be attending the ComicCon in Grand Rapids, Michigan with a friend. This will be my first time going to one and I'm very excited. I am telling you guys this, because I think it would be cool to meet people in that area who enjoy this story. I will be cosplaying those days, too and I took selfies of myself in Costume. The links are on my profile so I hope you at least check that out and let me know what you guys think.**_

_**Until Next Time...**_

_**-Garden**_


	27. Chapter 27

_**((Author's Note)) Hey everybody, I'm back with yet another chapter. I want to once again apologize for the extremely late update; school and work have both been a pain. Anyway I finally got ahold of some time to bring you this installment.**_

_**So now, I hope you all enjoy it.**_

Chapter 27

Mello's Pov (3rd person)

The room the trio entered was simmilar to a hospital. Long white halls and linolium tiles over cold cement. The only difference was that the doors were large and metal as if ripped from a high security prison with barred windows and huge latches.

"Whoa," Matt breathed out softly.

"Yeah," Ayata muttered.

Mello took another moment to look around. "So now what?" He asked.

Suddenly, there was a loud scream from a good distance from their current location. Ayata's ears perked up. "It's Yugi!" Without a second thought, Mello bolted down the hall. "Mello!" Matt followed closely behind his best friend with Ayata chasing the both of them, trying to get them to stop. "Guys, stop, you're making too much noise."

Mello ignored the girl as he continued to follow the echo of Yugi's scream, stopping momentarily to make a sharp turn. _I'm coming Yugi, don't worry._ Suddenly he felt a sudden impact to his right and fell onto the hard floor. A jolt of pain shot through his shoulder and hip, causing him to groan.

"Mello!" Matt called out. "Come on, man, where'd you run off to?"

When Mello regained his senses from the fall, the first thing he felt was a unnaturally warm body shivering against his own. He blinked the haze from his eyes to see a familiar shade of teal hair tickling his nose. He gave out a groan of relief as he sat up and saw the beautiful features on that pale tan face that he came to deeply care about. "Yugi?"

The girl that now laid in his arms opened one of her eyes for a brief moment. A golden orb rimmed by red looked at his face before slowly moving above his head to read his name. It flashed completely red for a split second and a single word, a name, "Mihael" whispered from her lips before it closed and she fell unconscious with nothing but her shallow panting to show she was still alive.

Still in shock that he had actually found her, he quickly called out, "Matt, I found her. Over here!" Matt and Ayata ran toward him. The former knelt down to feel Yugi's forehead, which had accumulated a sheen of moisture.

"She's burning up," he said, "we have to get her to Ryuzaki."

Ayata piped up. "I'll do it. You guys go find Nishiko. I'm sure L will send back up once I get there to apprehend her." The two boys nodded in agreement and she picked Yugi up, albeit with a bit of difficulty, and ran back toward the entrance to the tunnels.

Matt helped Mello back to his feet and the two of them ran the direction Yugi had come from. Eventually they came across a door that was different from the rest.

The door was slightly larger and made from a different type of metal. The most significant difference, though was insigna of a wolf and an atom surrounded by two words written in hiragana; Akiteru Labs.

"This has to be it," Matt concluded. Mello nodded in agreement and went to open the door.

The room inside was well lit; but it allowed anyone who entered to see the terrible mess. It was as if a massive storm blew in from the heavens, leaving papers and several random tools (most likely used to torture Yugi) scattered all over the floor.

"What happened in here?" Mello wondered aloud as he wandered the room, picking up a random piece of paper to read it.

Matt continued to wander until he tripped over something. "Oof!" He looked over to see what he tripped over and let out a gasp. "Oh my god...Mello, I think I found Nishiko."

Mello looked over to his friend and then down toward the floor at what he was looking at. Matt was right, he did find Nishiko. She was dead.

~*TimeSkip*~

When L sent reinforcements into the tunnels and found the boys with Nishiko's corpse, Watari had immediately sent it in for an autopsey, although it wasn't really necessary. Matt and Mello had found her body with a scalpel still lodged in her temple as well as her hand still holding said object. To anyone who had seen it, they would automatically assume the death a suicide.

"That doesn't make any sense," Violet argued when told the news. "That woman was too determined to commit suicide. Why would she kill herself just when she finally got the one thing she's wanted for the past decade and a half?!"

"That's what we're trying to find out," Watari calmly explained.

Mello glanced over at Kani and Near, who had remained silent since he and Matt had returned from the catacombs. He then noticed something. "Where's Ryuzaki? And Equal?" he asked, "And what about Yugi? Is she okay?"

The entire group of investigators were silent for a moment before Light spoke up. "They left to take Yugi to someone Ryuzaki said could help. Said she was an old friend or something...A woman by the name of Nikaido, I think is what he said."

Near nodded and said, "She was the daughter of a genetic scientist who was killed for not complying to the demands of terrorists designing a viral weapon to destroy the world. I took the liberty of tracking her down since I was the only one other than L to know her current location."

Matt 'Oh'ed in recognition of the name. "I remember her now. She and Yugi were roommates until she was eighteen and left to study becoming a doctor like her father."

"Hold on a second," Matsuda interjected, "Wasn't Yugi's father a genetic scientist too? That could mean she might be after her as well, couldn't it?"

"Like I said, Mr. Matsuda," Near stated, "I've known Nikaido for years and she is someone that can be trusted."

"Not to mention the fact that Equal told us that Akiteru studied cross-species genetics, and not viral-genetics like Nikaido. While simmilar, they aren't in the same field," Aizawa stated.

"Oh, yeah..."

Watari's cellphone then decided to ring. He quickly excused himself to answer it. When he returned, he had a small smile on his face. Mello looked at him hopefully, knowing well that it was L on the phone.

"Yugi's going to be alright," the older man announced, "however, they won't return until morning, so L wants us all to return our main focus onto searching for the Second Kira."

Mello sighed in relief.

"As for the boys, however, as well as Miss Violet and Miss Ruby, Ryuzaki has asked me to book them all a flight back to England since their services are no longer required."

Mello blanched. "What?!"

Watari turned to the blonde. "The only reason he allowed you three to stay was to assist in finding Yugi. Now that she is found, you are to return to the orphanage and await further instruction. He has already spoken with the headmaster and had him arrange rooms for the other three."

"Other three?" Ayata asked. "You mean my sister and I are leaving too?"

"And me?" Kani asked.

"Your mother has already agreed that it would be best for you," Watari told the four-year-old.

Matt took his turn to ask a question. "When do we leave?"

"Tomorrow evening. It will give you all time to say your goodbyes to Yugi. However, I must tell you that it is unknown how much damage was inflicted on her while she was gone, so it's best if you don't take anything she says personally. She might not be aware of what she says."

Yugi's POV(1st Person)

The first thing I noticed when opening my eyes was the darkness and silence that obscured the right side of my vision. My body and muscles were stiff and sore and I didn't want to move; but I pushed myself to a sitting position anyway, so that I could get a better glimpse of my surroundings.

I was in a regular bedroom with a window and door as well as a dresser, most likely holding several articles of clothing. I suddenly noticed the presence beside me and turned over to my right so that I could see who it was. I saw a familiar mop of dark hair and pale skin draped over the side of the bed and assumed...

"BB?" I asked softly, my voice hoarse and raspy.

The man opened his eyes to reveal not the psychotic red eyes of her only friend, but the calculative blue eyes of his mortal enemy, L.

"Yugi," He said softly, "how are you feeling?"

As I looked into his eyes, all of the daze I felt slowly bubbled into anger. I balled my hand into a fist and punched him, throwing him against the wall just below the window.

"You son of a bitch!" I yelled at him, standing from the bed. Suddenly I heard footsteps from outside the door, but I ignored them as I approached the form of the World's greatest detective and picked him up by his hair and roughly kicked him in the face.

The door opened as I continued to beat the man up; and he didn't fight back. He just let me kick and punch him into a bloody pulp until I felt two pairs of arms grab ahold of me and drag me away, kicking and screaming.

"I hope you're happy, Lawliet! Beyond Birthday is dead and it's all your fault!" I shouted at him.

"Yugi, calm down," a woman's voice said abrasively, but I wouldn't have any of it.

"Let me go, you bitch!" I seethed, "Let me go or I'll kill you! I'll kill all of you!"

"Yugi," a younger voice said, "it's alright, you're safe. Don't you remember me?"

"Why would I remember a fucking cunt like you?!" I demanded as one of them bent my arms behind my back and pushed me down to my knees.

"Maki, give me the syringe."

Suddenly, I felt a needle pierce my neck and my world went completely black.

L's POV (3rd person)

L watched the light leave Yugi's eye as the tranquilizer Equal gave her took effect almost instanly. The young woman known as Maki Nikaido held out her hand to help the detective to his feet.

"Don't let what she said get to you, Ryuzaki," Equal told him. "The drugs in her system made her say those things. Hopefully the damage isn't permanent."

"I'm well aware that the effects of the drugs would cause anyone to reveal the darkest part of their subconscious," L stated. "However, the traces of acid found in her bloodstream are of an unknown origin, according to the lab tests recovered from Nishiko Kuroka's reports while experimenting on her. It is possible she used the side effects of the acid to her advantage and pushed Yugi to mentally link Beyond Birthday's death to me rather than to Kira as an attempt to hurt me as well as possibly kill me.

"However, that can't be the entire reason for these experiments. From what I could dig up on her, Nishiko had a sort of obsession with Dr. Akiteru and was also there the day that Yugi set the laboratory on fire, destroying any progress and research that he had made as well as pushing him into near insanity. From this information, I can conclude that Nishiko was either attempting to finish what Akiteru had started when making the breakthrough by testing Yugi's physical and mental limits, or she felt that Yugi deserved to suffer for what she did almost six years ago when she broke out of confinement."

"That does give us possibilities on why Nishiko was hurting Yugi," Maki stated, "But the real question is, will Yugi pull through this? I know she's a strong girl, she has been ever since we had met back at Wammy's; but the poor girl has been through so much just this past month. Maybe all that torture really did push her to her limit."

"No," Equal denied. "I refuse to believe that. As long as Yugi is alive I'm certain she'll pull through. And if she's anything like her mother she'll come out stronger than she did when she ran away."

_**((Author's Note)) There you have it folks, I hope you enjoyed.**_

_**Now since I don't know when the next time I'll be able to update is, I think it's best if I take the last bit of my time to wish you all a Merry Christmas and Happy New Year. Who knows, Maybe I'll have time before then to write a one-shot with Yugi and the Wammy boys celebrating the holidays.**_

_**Until next time...**_

_**-Garden of Time**_


	28. Chapter 28

_**((Author's Note)) Hello again everyone! and welcome to the first chapter of this story written in 2017! I remember starting this story almost two years ago and I'm amazed at how far it's gotten. I know for certain that a big part of it is because of you guys and for that I want to thank you.**_

_**So now I'll give you the next chapter because I know that's the reason you came here, so here it is...**_

Chapter 28

_**((Trigger Warning: mentions of serious disorders in a sarcastic matter, please know I don't mean to offend anyone who has, or knows someone who has the mentioned health problems.))**_

I woke up again, this time in a large cell similar to the one I had been in for several months. The only difference was that it was bigger and had a more comfortable bed, a dresser, a bathroom, and a large mirror, which I was sure was actually one-way glass.

I was wearing a white, sleeveless nightgown, I had noticed as I stood from the bed and approached the mirror and looked at my reflection. The girl that stared back was different than I remember.

She wore the same nightgown I did, had the same colored hair too, albeit longer and a tinge lighter from stress. I turned abit and lifted the back of the gown until I saw the tail that was all but forgotten. I wagged mine and she wagged hers. Allowing the gown to fall once more, I studied her face more closely. The right side of her face was heavily bandaged, covering her eye and part of her ear. I reached up to my own face and felt the rough texture of the bandage, she did the same.

I didn't know what to do. I didn't know what to feel. Nishiko was dead. I watched her as she stabbed herself with that scalpel. I remember her crying for the pain in her chest to stop, that she wasn't ready to die. Yet she did, by killing herself. However I was certain she was dead before the blade pierced her temple. I was certain she died from a heart attack.

I was certain she was killed by Kira.

I returned to sitting at the side of my bed and thought about my sudden assumption. Nishiko was killed by Kira because he somehow got ahold of her name, but why would he kill her? She didn't hold any criminal records. No felonies, no suspicion, nothing. She was a model Japanese citizen to the public eye. Just your average working-class woman.

That was, unless Kira found out about her kidnapping me and torturing me. She told me I was a test to see if L would throw out the Kira case to come after me. I didn't know why he would bother. L was a selfish child who only worked on cases that interested him or had a good sum of money offered to him. Just like the criminals he hunted.

Just like BB.

I put my hands on my head and keeled over for a moment as a sudden headache washed over me. The thought of my only friend made me want to curl up into a ball and cry_. He didn't deserve dying the way he did. He was suppose to be alive and happy with me. If he hadn't died, he would have eventually got approved for parol or even get released early on good behavior. Then we would have lived the rest of our lives together in LA just like before._

_But of course L had him imprisoned, giving him a criminal record, drawing Kira to find out his name and face with a simple google search and kill him without a second thought_. I grit my teeth in anger._ L may not have been the one to do it, but he was the one who led Kira straight to him. For that, I hold him at least partially responsible for his death._

~*TimeSkip*~

It had been several days since Nishiko's death. Near, Mello and Matt had come to say their goodbyes since they were leaving to go back to England along with my brother and new sisters. After they left I refused to talk to anyone other than Watari; and that was only because he fed me.

There was a knock on the door before it opened, revealing the old man...with a tray of food. "Hello, Yugi. Are you feeling any better?"

I didn't speak for fear of sounding rude. Watari had been nothing but good to me, but he was working under L. I just gave a small nod, not making eye contact.

Watari set the tray onto the table next to the bed. "I made you a couple of sandwiches to help get your strength back up." I perked up slightly, smelling the lucious scent of peanut butter that I didn't even know I missed until that moment. I took one of the sandwiches and nearly devoured it whole. Watari chuckled.

"I'm glad to actually notice the improvement," he told me. "I'll be back in a couple of minutes so you can enjoy your food in peace." He went to leave as I swallowed the last bite of the sandwich, now a bit more confident to speak.

"Watari, I've been thinking about what Maki said the other day...about that drug she was making."

Watari turned to listen to what I had to say. "Have you made a decision on her offer?"

I nodded. "I have," I told him, as I thought of when Maki came knocking on the door the other day...

~*Flashback*~

_Maki held up a vial with a pale yellow liquid so that I could see it. "I've been working on this for the past year. It's a drug designed to treat people with Post-Traumatic Stress...It has a genetically engineered bacteria that attacks braincells regarding to Long Term memory. It hasn't been tested on humans yet, so I'm unsure of how much memory will be affected, or how long it will take for it to go into effect, but if you're willing to try, maybe it will help you forget what Nishiko has done to you."_

_I huffed. "What's the point in that?! Just because something is forgotten, it doesn't mean it never happened. I might forget the torture of that woman ripping my eye out and stuffing cocroaches in my ear, but that won't change the fact that when I wake up in the morning, half of my world will be shrouded in darkness and silence for the rest of my life!"_

_Maki sighed. Just like everyone else, she was annoyed at my stubborness. "At least take the time to think about it, okay? We want you back, Yugi. We need your help on this case, and the only thing holding you back is your resentment toward Nishiko and your anger at L. I don't know what caused you to think that L was the reason BB was killed by Kira. Whether Nisiko brainwashed you, or you came to that conclusion yourself doesn't matter. What does is that it's holding you back from avenging his death."_

_I didn't look at her in the eye for fear of crumbling into tears._

_"Yugi, if you really loved him..."_

_"That's the thing!" I exclaimed. Maki flinched at my sudden outburst. "I did love him. He was my best friend. He was my brother. He was my lover. He was my MATE! I don't want to forget about him. I don't want to lose my only reason for staying here; my only reason for staying alive! I loved him. I love remembering him, even if it hurts. I can't risk losing him again! I can't, you hear me?! I CAN'T!"_

_I couldn't hold the tears back anymore and I covered my face with my hands to protect what little dignity I had. Maki reached out hesitantly and put her hand on my shoulder, forcing me to look at her._

_"Yugi, I'm not making you take the drug. No one is. But I still want you to think about it. This could be a risk you have to take."_

~*EndFlashback*~

L's Pov (3rd Person)

Watari returned to the hotel after delivering Yugi's food. L watched her through the camera's that had been set up to watch over her.

"What did she have to say?" he asked Watari as he approached.

"She has informed me about her decision on Maki's offer," He explained. Equal looked up from the paperwork she was reading. "She has agreed to go through with the procedure."

Equal sighed and stepped forward to face L. "In that case," she said, "I want to take her somewhere beforehand. If that's alright with you, Ryuzaki."

L merely nodded, placing a thumb to his lips. "Very well. Watari will take you wherever you wish." His voice was dull and heavy, due to the weight of his chest. He still didn't quite understand the new emotions that he had been feeling since Yugi was captured; but he knew the weight had something to do with the fact that after she was injected with the drug, there would be a 70% possibility that she'll forget everything _before _her kidnapping as well as the incident itself.

In a way...L didn't want her to forget everything. He didn't want her to forget her contributions to the Kira Case. He didn't want her to forget finding her mother. He didn't want her to forget following him to Japan to find out about her origins. He didn't want her to forget Wammy's house, Matt, Mello, or Near. And just like her, he didn't want her to forget BB.

But most of all...L didn't want her to forget about him.

He may not love her like some might have come to believe, but ever since she returned to LA after Beyond Birthday's death...ever since he mated with her...there has been an emotional connection between them. L had come to care for Yugi as if she were a part of his family. In a way, he did love her. Not as a girlfriend or lover, but as a sister...or a friend.

As L disappeared into his thoughts, Equal had left with Watari to go get Yugi. L bit into his thumb hard as he was left all alone.

"Don't forget about me, Yugi."

Yugi's Pov (1st Person)

I scratched at my new eyepatch as Watari drove my mother and me somewhere. She had explained to me that she wanted me to see something. I crossed my arms and looked out the window at the trees, which had begun to sprout new leaves, signifying the start of spring.

"It's not like this is the last time I'll see spring again, what's the point of taking me on a tour of the countryside now and not later when I'd be more amazed at the sight?" I asked.

"It's not the countryside I'm taking you to see," Equal stated.

"Then where are we going?" I asked.

Equal sighed. "To visit your father."

I noticed her voice was soft and full of sadness, but I didn't question it. Nishiko told me how my father went mad after I ran away, and that he disappeared soon after the lab burnt down.

After a while, Watari stopped the car. "We've arrived at our destination."

Equal got out of the car and opened the door for me. I stepped out and looked around. I grew slightly confused. "A cemetary?"

Equal placed a hand on my shoulder and guided me down through the various headstones until she stopped at one and kneeled down to it and brushed off the dirt that had accumulated over top of the name. I read it without expression.

Ukyo Akiteru  
Born: November 17th, 1960  
Died: August 10th, 2005

"So, he's dead, then," I stated. "I guess my search was a waste after all."

"That's not true, Yugi," Equal scolded. "You told L that you followed him to Japan in order to find out how you became what you are."

"In order to do that I needed to find Dad; but he's dead."

"That doesn't mean he was the only one who knew." Equal rolled her eyes. "Honestly, I thought you being raised at the orphanage would give you more logical sense."

I was confused. "What are you talking about?"

Equal huffed. "I don't suppose your mother would know, would she?"

"But..." Then it hit me. The woman in front of me _was_ my mother. I felt so stupid not realizing that she held the answers all along. I could have saved a load of pain just asking her. I sighed. "I guess she would."

Equal patted the spot of ground next to her and I sat down. She put her arm around me and began to tell me her story. I hung onto every word.

"Before you, I was pregnant with another child. As a first-time mother, I was very excited, and so was Ukyo. Like any other expecting parents, we were prepared for everything...except for what happened. He was born too early, and the doctors couldn't do anything to save him. He died at three months.

"When I found out I was pregnant with you, I was scared. I didn't want you to die as well, and neither did Ukyo. He talked me into transferring you to an artificial womb where you would be supplied nutrients without the risk of a miscarriage. While you grew, he would stay up weeks at a time, making sure you'd survive to term. I would supply everything you needed through transfusions and stem-cell surgeries.

"Little did I know, however, that along with giving my DNA to you, Ukyo was running tests on your premature cells by mixing them with the DNA of different species of animals until he found a match with the DNA of a wolf pup he had found abandoned near the house.

"That's when he started mixing its DNA with yours, slowly causing a mutation that I didn't notice until it was too late. Not only did it alter your appearance and heighten your senses, but it also damaged your instincts. I didn't notice because whenever I saw you, you still looked like a normally developing baby. When you were strong enough to leave the womb, you wouldn't open your eyes or respond to any noise. When I fed you, you would whimper and try to push your hands against my chest like an animal. I asked Ukyo about it and he took that moment to fess up what he did.

"One day I couldn't get you to stop crying. I demanded Ukyo explain, since I was certain he knew what was going on. I let him take you to his lab so he could run tests on you...but I shouldn't have, because I never saw you again. When Ukyo came back without you, he told me you were dead. In truth, however, he had encased you in a giant glass tomb filled with liquid similar to the plasma you developed in as a fetus and hooked you up to various machinery to keep you alive. I didn't find this out until the lab burnt down.

"Since then, our marriage was slowly falling apart. We would fight constantly, and often times get visited by police responding to a disturbance call from neighbors. By the time Kani was born, I had given up on trying to fix our relationship and finally filed for divorce.

"Once Ukyo was out of the picture, I recieved the call from L, who stated that he found you in Los Angeles and was transfering you to Wammy's as we spoke. I was so happy that I had packed everything up and moved to England just to see you again. I even went to the orphanage in hopes of reuniting with you, but was stopped before I could enter the door.

"I was told that it would be best not to see you in case it triggered a bad memory. I thought that leaving you there was best and refused to fight. I still don't know if my decision was right...but for what it's worth, I'm sorry."

Equal was in tears by the end of her story. I remained silent. A sudden relief left my shoulders now that I knew how I became what I was, but of course more questions arose. Questions I was certain I would get answered within time; but they would have to wait. I put my hand on my mother's shoulder in attempt to comfort her.

"Let's go home."

I held out my hand to her as I stood up. She took it gratefully and the two of us walked back to the car, a bit lighter than when we first entered the metal gates...no, lighter than when I first found out that this woman, who I had met on the plane that broght me here and sang her son a lullaby, was my mother. Maybe one day, I'll be proud enough to call her that.

When we returned to the hotel that afternoon, Maki prepped me for the procedure. The task force was already made aware of the circumstances and were prepared for any miscalculations.

"Shouldn't we ask her about any links between Nishiko's death and Kira?" Chief Yagami asked.

"She's right here," I stated bluntly As Maki tied a rubber band to my arm.

"Everything has already been documented," L stated. "We can easily confirm that Nishiko was killed by Kira using the autopsy report as well as what Yugi was willing to tell Watari as sufficient proof."

"You can lie down now, Yugi," Maki told me. I lied back on the cot I was sitting on and she began to strap me down.

"Is that really neccesary?" Matsuda asked.

Maki nodded. "As I've previously stated, this drug hasn't been tested, so we must be prepared for any backlashes."

"Right, of course."

"What about survival rate?" I asked.

"Um..." Maki was speechless. "At least a 20% chance, maybe less."

Yagami made a noise and began to object, "Wait a minute, I just can't stand by when your willing to risk a child's life for a drug that hasn't been tested yet."

"Oh for the love of fanfiction, this isn't your decision!" I yelled. "I appreciate your concerns, all of you, but this is _my_ choice. If I'm going to continue helping with the case I need to get that woman out of my head."

"But isn't there another way?" Matsuda asked.

"Not unless you've suddenly come up with something."

Matsuda remained silent and it ended the conversation. Maki prepared a syringe with the pale yellow liquid. "This will take a series of several days for it to completely go through your system. I'll be giving you additional doses of certain medicines to cope with possible side effects; more specifically donepezil, galantamine, and rivastigmine."

"So basically you're giving me alzheimers as well as treating me for it," I summed up sarcastically. "Lovely."

"Yugi, that's not something to-"

"JUST SHOVE THAT DAMN NEEDLE IN MY ARM ALREADY BEFORE I CHANGE MY FUCKING MIND!"

I swear I saw a vein pop in Maki's forehead before she grabbed my forearm in search for my vein. "Just relax and this will be over before you know it."

I nodded. "Right, I'll just close my eyes and wait as I decend the nine levels of hell by means of a slow and painful death. Abandon all hope, ye who enter here."

"Is it just me or is Yugi going insane?" Aizawa asked.

"Nah, I just wanted to say that before I forgot," I stated. I'm pretty sure everyone got annoyed with me because after my comment, I felt a prick in my arm and my mind went black.

_**((Author's Note)) So there you have it. I hope you enjoyed this chapter, but if you didn't I understand. Either way I'd still like to know, so why don't you tell me about it by writing a review? I love hearing from my readers, be it compliments, critisizm, trolling, flames, or event the occasional cursing for seven hundred years suffering in the neverending flames of hell. They not only make me feel noticed, but give me plenty of motivation to continue writing.**_

_**So, as of now I'm begging you to please tell me what you think! You don't have to, but it will be greatly appreciated.**_

_**Until next time,**_

_**-Garden**_


	29. Chapter 29

_**((Author's Note)) Well everyone, it is time to see what Yugi goes through as the drug that Maki gave her goes through her system. I will inform you now that this chapter will be shortest in this story, but I found it necessary for it's continuation.**_

_**I'll explain more later.**_

Chapter 29-Epilogue

**Day 1**

"Are you sure you're okay?" Maki asked. I nodded.

"I'll be alright," I replied, "I'm just going to lie down for a while."

Maki took me to her clinic today so that I could get my first dose of medicine. When we got back I wasn't feeling good, so I went to bed early.

**Day 2**

I woke up from another nightmare. Equal came to comfort me and I cried into her shoulder.

"I can't believe it's only been two days," I cried. "That bitch ruined my life!"

"It's okay, Yugi," Equal soothed, rubbing my back. "It will get better soon, trust me."

"When did I start waking up a monster?"

**Day 3**

I had been taking this drug for three days now. I rubbed my temples as another headache ran its course. Matsuda came to sit beside me with a glass of water.

"Here, I got you some Ibuprofen," he said handing me a couple tiny red pills and the glass of water. I smiled.

"Thanks, Matsuda," I said, downing the pills. "God, these headaches are killing me; but they're better than shock therapy in my opinion."

"Did she do that to you?" He asked hesitantly. I nodded solemnly.

"I wish it was the only thing she did."

**Day 4**

This was my last visit to the clinic. However, on the way to the new hotel, there was a moment where I had an outburst and thought I was back in that dungeon.

It just happened so fast; one moment I was walking down the street and then I bumped into someone who looked just like that woman. I tripped and fell on my back, hitting my head against the sidewalk.

"Oh, forgive me," the woman said, "I didn't see you there." She went to help me up and that's when it happened.

She lunged at me with the scalpel in her hand, going straight for my eye. I screamed and covered my face. "Get away, please stop, go away, GO AWAY!"

"Yugi! Calm down, it's alright!" Maki tried to snap me out of it. When I did come to my senses, she had to carry me to the hotel. I stayed in my room the rest of the night, trying to keep myself together.

My body felt like it was shattering into pieces. Fragile didn't get close to describing how I felt.

**Day 5**

I felt sick as hell. I became a disgusting mess; covered in sweat and vomit because I couldn't even get out of bed. I don't think I had ever felt so humiliated, especially when Light showed up and saw me in that condition. Thankfully, L covered for me and stated that it was a bug that was best avoided and got him out of there. Throughout the day I was given a tonic and plenty of water to ge me through.

**Day 6**

When I was left alone I went insane. The nightmares got worse. They were so bad that I couldn't sleep through the night, so I went out where the only other person awake continued working on the Kira Case. I felt it was time to make up for the cruel things I've said to him.

"Hey," I said, taking a seat on the couch next to L.

"Can't sleep?" He asked, not taking his eyes off of the computer screens.

I shook my head. "L, I'm sorry for what I said. I know it wasn't your fault BB died. I guess I needed someone to blame...someone I could get ahold of. It was irrational; _I_ was irrational..." My voice began to waver as the past week came back to me in a flash. "I can't believe it took a stupid drug to make me realize that I may have hurt the only connection to him that I had!"

I began to cry out in anger. "How could I have let this happen? I'm better than this! What makes this different from all the other shit I've been through?!" L remained silent as I ranted.

"I've walked through fire, lived on the streets, I've even killed my own killed my own girlfriend and much worse! How is this the thing that breaks me?! How is getting hurt by someone else worse than when I've hurt myself?" I curled up against the back of the couch, adjusting myself into a simmilar position to the man next to me. "I don't remember what happened when I broke out of Akiteru's lab five years ago...but I'm certain it didn't take this long to forget."

That was when L finally looked in my direction. I couldn't describe his expression. It was a mi of sveral different ones, some I had never seen on his face.

"Do you _want_ to forget?" His question held a tone that could only be described as sadness. I was certain he didn't want me to forget about him. I wasn't entirely sure why.

I took a deep breath. "I think it's the best option; although there are things I want to remember." I glanced at him. "So if I do forget, be it Wammy's house; Near, Mello, and Matt; BB or even you...Promise me that you'll introduce me when you can."

I must have shocked him slightly, because I noticed him going a little stiff. It was brief however, and he did finally speak after a deafening silence. "I promise."

I then smiled and did something I haven't done in a long time. I moved closer and snuggled up next to him. It suprised me because I had only done that with BB when I was much younger. What suprised me more, though, was when L leaned back and wrapped his arm around me, surrounding me in his warmth and sweet scent; the only thing that kept me alive during those endless days of torture.

I closed my eyes and finally fell asleep, not knowing that the strange detective next to me did the same.

**Day 7**

I couldn't believe it. I actually felt good. It was like all the weight I've felt just suddenly vanished. I felt like I could take on the world.

"How are you feeling, Yugi?" Maki asked, noticing my good mood.

I smiled. "Like I'm going to take a much needed shower."

"That's good."

I laughed. "Better than good. I've never felt so free! I think things are going to be much better."

Maki nodded. "We'll see about that. When you're done I want to see how well you're actually getting along."

I nodded in understanding before leaving to get cleaned up, and maybe cut my hair.

**Day 8**

"Hey, Yugi, glad to see you're looking better," Mogi said as I entered the kitchen in search for a snack.

"I feel better, thanks," I said as I grabbed a jar of penut butter. "Hopefully I'll be able to rejoin the case soon."

"Great, we could use your ability to keep L in line from going nuts," Aizawa joked.

I looked at him confused. "What are you talking about? He's already nuts!" We all laughed at that. I glanced at the clock. "I've gotta go, Maki's demanding I get an evaluation every day for some reason."

"I think it's to make the drug is working and that you're really forgetting about Nishiko," Matsuda stated without thinking. My smile disappeared.

"Thanks for the reminder, Matsu," I deadpanned. I left the kitchen, leaving the penut butter on the counter, having lost my apetite.

**Day 9**

"Do you know what this woman looked like?" Maki asked.

I scrunced my eyes in though. "She was blonde...no a brunette...that's not right either...Maybe a ginger? No, definately a brunette. And she...are you sure it was a she? I could have sworn it was a guy..." I groaned. "I can't remember. I thought I knew, but apparently I don't."

Maki smiled. "Don't worry about it. That's a good sign, it means the drug is finally doing its job."

I played with my now much shorter hair, a serene peace washed over me. "So, my memories of her are finally fading." However, along with her, others were doing the same.

**Day 10**

I opened my eyes to find myself in a strange environment. _Where am I?_ I wondered. I sat up from where I was lying down. It appeared to be a couch...what's a couch?

I looked around and saw multiple people doing random things. Some were staring at squares that lit up while others were making noises with their faces while holding something flopy in their hands. _Who are these people?_

My head began to hurt and I put my hand to my forehead. My hand...I looked at the appendage in front of my face. It was pale-ish, tan-ish, with five skinny fingers that wiggled when I willed them to..._with my mind!_

I was so amazed. I looked down at even longer appendages that I identified as my legs and my eyes landed on my feet where five stubby toes were attatched to each one. I used my newfound mind power and wiggled them too. "Cool!"

I covered my mouth after exclaiming that. _I can make noises with my face too!_ The sounds from the other people in the room stopped and stared at me in surprise.

"Yugi, you're okay!" A guy with longish hair said happily I tilted my head slightly in confusion and wonder. Above his head was a bunch of red letters and numbers floating around. Before I could decipher it, however, a woman with long brown hair and grey eyes approached and grabbed me by the shoulders.

"Oh, Darling, you scared us half to death!" She said in relief.

"I'm sorry, miss," I apologized to the woman. She just wrapped her arms around me in a tight embrace.

"I should be the one to apologize," another woman with shorter hair said. "I didn't consider the possibility of a relapse which resulted in that seizure."

These people were starting to confuse me. "If you don't mind me asking...Who are you?"

The woman hugging me tensed up and slowly pulled back. There was a horrified look on her face. "You mean, you don't know who we are?"

I nodded. "I don't even know who _I_ am...Is Yugi my name?"

I suddenly heard a loud crunch and turned my head toward the sound. In the far corner, sitting in front of one of the squares with his legs scrunched up, was a man with pale skin and shaggy black hair. He just took a loud bite out of a rather large lollypop.

I felt concerned for the man and quickly asked, "Is that man over there okay?" He turned around and when I saw his face I instantly thought of a Panda. Nobody answered my question, so I decided to make a louder face noise. "Is the Panda Man okay?!"

Little did anyone know, he was far from okay; and the crunch from the lollypop symbolized his heart shattering into pieces.

_**THE END**_

_**((Author's Note)) And so concludes the story about THE GIRL WITH GOLDEN EYES. Don't worry though, dear readers, for another installment of Yugi's story will be on the way shortly. In fact along with this final chapter, I'll be posting a preview for BOOK # 2 which I'll be calling **__**UNRAVEL**__** and yes it's based off of the song opening for Tokyo Ghoul.**_

_**You see, I recently listened to an english cover for the song and thought it would be perfect for the sequel...at least better than the title I had previously picked out.**_

_**So, in case you decide to stop reading here and can't wait for the sequel, keep your eyes out for it via my page or the recent updates to the Death Note archive. I can't wait to see you there.**_

_**So until then, this is your local crazy plant girl with a black thumb signing off from this fanfic for the second-to-last time.**_

_**See ya Later!**_

_**-Garden of Time**_


	30. Sequel Preview

**Acknowledgements**

_**I would like to thank all of those that have read this story throughout the time it has taken me to write it. I would also like to thank you for your support through reviews favorites and follows. So as a treat for doing so I'm going to supply a preview for the next part of this series called **__**Unravel**__**, which will be comming soon, so keep your eyes out for it.**_

~*Preview*~

"Ryuzaki, Amane is talking," Watari cut in before Mr. Yagami could protest. L looked up from his sweets.

"Quickly get me visual and audio," he told the butler.

As they continued to speak, I was sitting away from the group, looking at the oddly designed cards that laid in front of me. _Are these really all mine?_ I wondered as I stared at one in particular. It was a limited edition DARK MAGICIAN card. Officially my new favorite, I stared at it, entranced by the beautiful designs.

"I can't take it anymore...Kill me..."

I looked up from my cards to see Miss Misa on the big screen. She was shaking in her restraints and her voice was soft and weak. I set my cards down and approached the screen as she continued to talk.

"Kill me...Please, just kill me..."

Mr. Aizawa began to contemplate the girl's condition. "Maybe this was all too much for a young girl to take." He made a subtle glance at me, but looked away when I noticed.

"He's right," Mr. Matsuda agreed. "We've pushed too far." He sounded really guilty.

L began to try and speak with Miss Misa, hoping to get a confession out of her, which she continued to deny.

"I don't know anything about the Second Kira. I really can't take this anymore. I'd rather be dead. _Now hurry up and kill me!_"

I froze as those last words echoed in my head. They slowly grew louder and louder and I began to feel my heartbeat increase.

Those words...I...I wanted them to stop. They were hurting my ears.

"Stop it," I said out loud. "Stop it...Stop...Get them out...Get them out of my head...It hurts...It hurts it hurts it hurts it hurts..."

"Yugi, are you okay?" Mr. Aizawa asked, him being the closest to me.

I put my hands over my ears. The sounds continued to grow louder as they poured into my head. It hurt so bad that I let out a loud scream.

"GET THEM OUT! GET THEM OUT! IT HURTS! STOP IT! MAKE IT STOP! MAKE IT STOP!" I felt someone grab my arms as I began to repeat the same things in Persian.

"Yugi, Yugi, it's okay, you're safe," a soothing voice whispered into my ear. Soon the noise stopped and the pain diminnished. I looked up to see a pair of large red eyes that seemed vaguely familiar before being shrouded in darkness.


End file.
